King hails British public’s ‘extraordinary compassion’ for people in need

The King has praised the British public for their “remarkable generosity” and never failing to step up for those in need as he marked World Humanitarian Day.

Charles asked the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) for an update on its work, which includes appeals helping those in Afghanistan, Ukraine, Pakistan and Turkey-Syria, and areas it is closely monitoring such as Sudan and Gaza.

He was presented with a photo gallery of 15 images from recent campaigns, including images of hot meals being handed to families displaced by conflict in Gaza, a Ukrainian family in a refugee shelter in Poland, and rescuers searching for survivors after the Turkey-Syria earthquakes.

The King said, in a written message: “In the face of such unbearably difficult circumstances for so many, the British public never fail to step up and show extraordinary compassion to those in need.

“These images show just a fraction of the work undertaken by local and international humanitarians, volunteers and aid workers to help the member charities of the Disasters Emergency Committee.”

He also expressed his admiration for the aid workers who “risk so much in the service of others”.

“Set against the backdrop of conflict, climate change and natural disasters, I was particularly drawn to the recurring themes of hope and resilience running through these photographs,” the King said.

“I can only express my warmest possible thanks for the remarkable generosity of the British public in enabling swift action to support those in the most desperate of conditions, and my particular admiration for those humanitarians who risk so much in the service of others.”

The DEC is an umbrella group which brings together 15 leading UK aid charities to raise funds at times of crisis overseas.

The United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution designating August 19 as World Humanitarian Day (WHD) in 2008, five years to the day after a bomb attack in Baghdad, Iraq, which killed 22 humanitarian aid workers including the UN special representative of the secretary-general for Iraq Sergio Vieira de Mello.

Each year, WHD focuses on a theme, advocating for the survival, well-being and dignity of people affected by crises, and for the safety and security of aid workers.

This year, the 2024 campaign #ActForHumanity calls for those in power to end attacks on civilians and humanitarian workers in conflict zones.

Last year was the deadliest on record for humanitarian groups, with 280 aid workers killed in 33 countries, a jump of 137% from 118 people the year before.