Protecting Humanitarian Workers: WHD 2026 in Nigeria

World Humanitarian Day (WHD) 2026 is dedicated to honoring humanitarian workers and their impact globally, with the theme ‘Act for Humanity’ focusing on ending attacks on aid workers and health personnel. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has identified Nigeria as one of the countries where attacks on healthcare workers have occurred, with over 10,400 incidents reported worldwide since 2018.

WHO Director for Humanitarian and Disaster Management, Altaf Musani, stated that attacks on healthcare facilities disrupt services and leave patients without care. Recently, the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) reported that at least 30 doctors were assaulted in the past 11 months, primarily by patients' relatives and security personnel.

NARD's Second Vice-President, Kwarshak Kevin, urged the federal government to enact legislation to penalize assaults on healthcare workers and establish rapid-response protocols for their protection. WHD was designated by the United Nations General Assembly on August 19, 2009, in memory of 22 aid workers killed in Iraq in 2003.