A Brief History: Who are Humanitarians?

The history of humanitarianism began with the establishment of various agencies, organizations, and governments whose main goal is to help people. The oldest humanitarian organization that exist today is called the Sovereign Order of Malta. It was established through the church affiliation, in 1048. Their core beliefs initiated humanitarian efforts towards building "... a church, a convent and a hospital to care for pilgrims of any religious faith or race." (1) Today, they continue these actions with diplomatic ties by assisting people in over 113 countries around the world, during natural disaster and conflict.

We observe these attributes in the humanitarian Henry Dunant whose wartime efforts reduced the suffering of those injured. This led to the establishment and his co-founding of the International Committee of the Red Cross, in 1863. Today, the Red Cross has the objective of providing medical care for those harmed during natural disasters. Another humanitarian organization, which is one of the oldest associations that manages and provides clean water is called the American Water Works Association (AWWA). Established in 1880, today, they continue to provide clean and sanitized water to people, along with other humanitarian organizations throughout the world. In addition, the World Food Progamme (WFP) and the US Agency for International Development (USAID) are the oldest modern day humanitarain programs. Both were founded in 1961. As the name states, the WFP provides food by working with other humanitarian agencies and the USAID's goal is to assist during conflict, combat diseases, provide education and promote the substainability within various countries, worldwide.

These kinds of efforts and concerns proliferated until it began to have a profound effect on what people thought about others during natural disasters, man-made disasters, wars and conflicts. As these types of ideals broaden, many people began to associate these thoughts to that of a humanitarian.

Such thoughts can be observed in the philosopher Kant (mid-1700s) who wrote that what a person reasoned determines their course of 'good' actions. He believed your good "action(s) should be because you have determined that it is the right thing to do". (2) Hence, the premise is that your internal reasoning steers your motivation to do 'good' to others.

So,.... Who are Humanitarians? Humanitarians are people who have various reason to care, but it is mostly their moral, personal and emotional motivation that steer them towards actively, and progressively improving conditions for others.

(1) "History of Order," Order of Malta Federal Association, U.S.A., Accessed 06/25, https://www.orderofmaltafederal.org/625.

(2) Joseph Kranak, "Chapter 6: Kantian Deontology," in Introduction to Philosophy, ed. George Matthews (Reubus Press, 2019), https://press.rebus.community/intro-to-phil-ethics/chapter/kantian-deontology/.