On World Humanitarian Day, 19 August, WHO honours the thousands of people working in emergencies and humanitarian response throughout the world, such as Dr Alaa Abu-Zaid, Coordinator of the Health Cluster, Mogadishu, Somalia

For more than 20 years, Mogadishu has endured a chronic emergency situation, including the influx of thousands of internally displaced people fleeing insecurity and food shortages in southern parts of Somalia. In 2011, the country faced one of the worst famines in years.

Dr Alaa Abu-Zaid, Coordinator of the Health Cluster, is no stranger to humanitarian emergencies. Coordinating health partners and their activities in the Somali capital, Mogadishu, such as the Vaccination Week in April 2012, is risky business. Roadside bombs and stray bullets are a day-to-day reality in Mogadishu. In recent times, suicide bomb attacks have also become more common.