Dear friends,
We are pleased to invite you to
The 2nd National Memorial Event for Humanitarian Aid Workers
on Tuesday 18th August 2015, the eve of World Humanitarian Day, at Westminster Abbey, London
The memorial event ( http://www.rememberinghumanitarians.org.uk/about-the-memorial.html ) seeks to honour those who died in the service of humanitarianism, to recognise our common humanitarian ideals and to celebrate the spirit that inspires humanitarian action around the globe.
The event is for families, friends, colleagues and organisations to honour those who lost their lives in humanitarian action. More information is included in the introductory note, below.
Evensong will take place at 5pm (optional) and a wreath laying ceremony will begin at 6pm. You are welcome to join us for either or both of these events.
We would be very grateful if you could circulate this invitation around to your friends and networks. To register, please visit the event webpage ( http://www.rememberinghumanitarians.org.uk/about-the-memorial.html ), where you can also find more details.
With every good wish,
Dame Barbara Stocking
Chair of the Steering Committee for the National Memorial for Humanitarian Aid Workers
Website: www.rememberinghumanitarians.org.uk
Twitter: @AidMemorial
Facebook: National Memorial for Humanitarian Aid Workers
Introductory Note
There is a long and noble tradition of the UK humanitarian agencies and individual workers from the UK, the Government and the British people, giving huge support to humanitarian crises. A number of people have given their lives to the humanitarian cause but there is no national focal point where relatives, friends and colleagues can go to reflect on their sacrifice and celebrate their work.
In 2014 the first national remembrance event took place on 19 August, World Humanitarian Day, at Westminster Abbey, attended by families, friends and colleagues, aid agency representatives and dignitaries including the serving Minister of State for DFID, and the serving UN Under-Secretary General for Humanitarian Affairs.
A wreath-laying ceremony took place outside at the Abbey, at the Memorial for Innocent Victims of Oppression, Violence and War. The wreath-laying in 2015 will take place at this same memorial, on the eve of World Humanitarian Day, 18th August, pending the commissioning of the permanent memorial for humanitarian aid workers in 2016.
Core principles regarding the memorial and the associated events have been agreed:
• While located in the UK, the memorial and the events will remember and recognise all aid workers across the world. This is because we know that approximately four times as many local staff are killed each year as international expatriate staff, and this is probably a gross underestimate. There will be no list of names and the term aid worker will be self-defined.
• People may visit the memorial throughout the year, but the annual event (probably on or around World Humanitarian Day) will be to recognise and remember not only those who have died but all those aid workers inspired by humanitarian ideals who are giving their best around the world, often in difficult and dangerous circumstances.
• Although the Cloisters at Westminster Abbey are one possible site for a memorial, the Steering Committee is currently exploring a number of locations and undertaking a consultation exercise with interested people. The criteria for the site are that it should be:
o In a prominent location, with easy access and a good foot fall
o In an environment appropriate to a place of reflection
o In line with humanitarian principles, which means it should be independent of political and state interests and acceptable to those of all faiths or none.
Dame Barbara Stocking
Chair, Steering Committee
January 2015
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