[Editorial] Working towards better health in humanitarian crises (Lancet)

On the afternoon of Aug 19, 2003, a bomb on a truck was detonated outside the UN headquarters in Baghdad, Iraq. The UN Special Representative in Iraq, Sérgio Vieira de Mello, who had worked for the UN for more than 30 years, was killed in the attack, along with 22 of his colleagues. Since 2006, the date has marked World Humanitarian Day to commemorate them and all the people who have lost their lives in humanitarian service and to celebrate those presently working in crisis and disaster settings around the world.