Held from Aug. 19 to 25, the latest iteration of Pekan Kemanusiaan took #TheHumanRace “Tantangan Global untuk Aksi Terkait Iklim dalam Solidaritas Bagi Mereka Yang Membutuhkan” (Global Challenge for Climate Action in Solidarity with Vulnerable Communities) as its theme, highlighting the threat of climate change, among the world’s most pressing issues.

Throughout the week, Human Initiative held a series of events, including the Humanitarian Conference, HI Talks, a joint campaign through givingweek.id, a comic strip and video competition, sharing sessions and a mini concert.

The Humanitarian Conference opened the event on Aug. 19 with a discussion titled “Tantangan Pascapandemi: Penyediaan Data Yang Akuntabel Dan Cepat Saat Krisis” (Post-pandemic Challenge: Fast and Accurate Data Recording in Times of Crises), followed by HI Talks on Aug. 21 to 22 featuring speakers such as actor Ramon Y Tungka and zero-waste practitioner Britania Sari.

Closing the week on Aug. 25 was a mini concert featuring singers Hanin Dhiya and Yana Julio, along with a discussion with Human Initiative DRM manager Deni Kurniawan and International Organization on Migration program coordinator Sonya Syafitri on the challenges faced by refugees in recent times.

The date coincided with Rohingya Day, commemorating the fateful day Rohingya refugees fled Myanmar to Bangladesh following a brutal military offensive against the Muslim minority group in Rakhine state in 2017.

Worldwide, the plight of refugees has been on the rise as of late. The Rohingya situation has not been resolved, with hundreds of thousands still displaced. The same goes for the Middle East, as Syrian and Palestinian refugees who fled conflict and violence are still struggling to find a safe haven.

The most recent crisis in Afghanistan saw even more desperation for refugees, with chaotic scenes across the country finding their way online to a horrified audience. Making the situation more dire is the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, along with the effects of climate change that will surely create even more humanitarian crises if left unchecked.

During the discussion, Deni concluded that collaboration between individuals and organizations to address humanitarian issues would be inevitable.

“Whatever the organization, if our intent is to help humanity, we must be open to collaborating and sharing resources so that our response can be more effective and efficient, as we have a massive amount of refugees who are facing massively complex issues,” he said.

President of Human Initiative Tomy Hendrajati said World Humanitarian Day was a reminder for humanitarian aid workers to stay optimistic and positive in the face of challenges.

“Let us all go hand in hand to continue our humanitarian missions,” he said in a statement.

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