In 2023, we celebrate the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in a world that is deeply interconnected and increasingly aware of its challenges. In the development of a global solidarity network, humanitarian aid is employed in adverse contexts to contribute to the rehabilitation of livelihoods and to rescue human dignity, regardless of specificities such as nationality, color, religion, or gender.
           Traditionally, humanitarian cooperation has assisted countries and territories in emergency or vulnerable situations, whether due to natural disasters, armed conflict, or any other threat to the life, health, security, and human rights of populations.
           Unlike development cooperation, humanitarian assistance does not have the ultimate objective of transforming realities through the transfer of technical, scientific, or technological know-how. On the contrary, this type of support acts swiftly to meet basic human needs, which are often restricted to entire populations.
           In the current global context, humanitarian cooperation is gaining strength and importance, mainly because extensive crises have exacerbated geopolitical instability, hunger, extreme poverty, and fragility in various parts of the world. In the Development Cooperation Report 2023, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) also highlights a growing number of requests to address the immediate needs of the most vulnerable, exacerbated by climate change and pandemic scenarios.
           In January 2023, 339 million people - almost three times as many as in 2016 - were in need of humanitarian assistance, which will cost around $51.5 billion, estimates of the World Economic Forum.
           In addition to the efforts made by governments in different countries to meet the basic needs of people affected by crises, different humanitarian organizations are also trying to fill the gap between the growing demands and the resources currently available and have shown themselves to be increasingly decisive in this context.
           Both individuals and international organizations such as Médecins Sans Frontières, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), and the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement are directly involved in the protection of victims of violence, providing humanitarian assistance on the ground and in advocacy activities raising awareness among people and governments about the relevance of the issue. Recognized worldwide, this work is often celebrated with the Nobel Peace Prize, for example.
           In Brazil, the Inter-Ministerial Working Group on International Humanitarian Cooperation systematizes the successful actions undertaken by the country. Different institutions of the Federal District Government work to assist the Brazilian government in these humanitarian missions, such as the Federal District Military Police (PMDF) and the Federal District Military Fire Brigade (CMBDF). These efforts will always seek to support humanitarian actions, aiming not at their perpetuity, but at their conclusion, as long as this means the extinction of the circumstances that motivated them.