August 19th - World Humanitarian Day

World Humanitarian Day

“More than ever before people need help”

August 19th is World Humanitarian Day and around the globe people are taking time to recognize those who face danger and adversity in order to help others. The day was designated by the General Assembly to coincide with the anniversary of the 2003 bombing of the United Nations headquarters in Baghdad, Iraq.   This bombing is noted as the worst attack on the UN in its history – people died, people were injured and out of the pain and rubble World Humanitarian day was created.

In very basic terms a humanitarian is someone who works to make people’s lives better; someone involved in improving lives and reducing suffering.   So this is also a day to celebrate the spirit that inspires humanitarian work around the globe.

The “shout out“ for World Humanitarian day is The world needs more…   It is a call to stand up and speak out and make a difference.  We want to raise awareness about the tremendous work of individuals and to offer a different perspective in acknowledging the day.  We asked people attending our 15th community barbecue in the inner city on Saturday August 16th what the world needs more of and the majority told us:

·         Love

·         Peace

·         Kindness

·         Hope

·         Food

·         Safe, clean, affordable place to live

These comments are about here and now; from people you may see every day but choose to ignore. It is not only countries and places abroad that require humanitarian involvement; it is also needed in the very backyards here – the cities, towns and rural spaces that are all around.  This is not to pit one against the other.    And we know this because 46% of the food bank users in Hamilton are children. There is a 21 year difference in the life expectancy between the poorest neighbourhood and the wealthiest neighbourhood in Hamilton.  Just over 50% of all the hate crimes were motivated by hatred toward a race and Hamilton is one of three cities in Canada with the highest rates of hate crime per capital.  And some 30,000 people in Hamilton work every day and still live in poverty. This is our local context.  This tells us that there is still much work to be done;that better, bolder strategies are needed and that there are things that we can and must do. 

Let’s talk about the humanitarian effort at home.  Let’s hear about your local context.  And then let’s work on better, bolder strategies to make people’s lives better; create that change that improves lives and reduces suffering.  On this World Humanitarian Day that’s what I think the world needs more of!   So let’s have this conversation and let us know what you think.

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Health Equity: A Matter of Social Justice

There is much talk about health equity throughout the province.  Health equity is not a new concept, in fact, one could say that the very system of universal health care is consistent with the notion of sustaining health equity.  In Closing the Gap, a WHO report on health equity through action on the social determinants of health, the writer notes that “the development of a society, rich or poor, can be judged by the quality of its population’s health, how fairly health is distributed across the social spectrum, and the degree of protection provided from disadvantage as a result of ill-health.” 

In this way health equity is a matter of social justice; an ethical issue in line with the principles of human rights that are well known and widely embraced.  In fact it’s a basic principle that all people have the right to health.

If that is the case then why do we not address and provide resources for the things that support good health - safe housing, adequate income, access to food and nutrition, racism and discrimination?  Why don’t we ensure that the conditions for health are in place for everyone?   Why are resources, funding and research priorities not directed where the need is greatest and exclusion the most rampant?  And why is there such a difference between the health of those who have and that of those who do not have?  Why are the health outcomes for racialized groups so very different than the health outcomes of others?  Are we to believe that this is about personal choice?  Or because some are deserving and others are not?  Or that the difference of an area code or unearned privilege qualifies some to have health and others not? Our response should be a resounding no!  It’s a matter of social justice.  It’s the about making the collective decision to move from mere words to real action.  It’s about the realization of equity.

 The World Health Organization says: “Inequities in health, avoidable health inequalities, arise because of the circumstances in which people grow, live, work, and age, and the systems put in place to deal with illness. The conditions in which people live and die are, in turn, shaped by political, social, and economic forces. Social and economic policies have a determining impact on whether a child can grow and develop to its full potential and live a flourishing life, or whether its life will be blighted.”

The truth is that we can affect the policies that so negatively impact people’s lives.  We can change them.  We can decide that they do not “fit” with the principles of fairness, human rights and social justice.  We can make a difference.  So then it seems the question really is …..where do you stand and what will you do?