They are people who see a great deal of human suffering and live with it in the operations that they undertake in the field. 20 November 2000 happen. It is caused by events, either natural or man-made. A great deal of it could have been prevented, by wiser or more vigorous policies. And, of course, it should be prevented.
Few people are more aware of that than humanitarian workers.
Perhaps nothing in life makes you angrier than the spectacle of massive human suffering which you know need not have happened, if only people had taken better decisions in good time, or had some thought for the human consequences of their decisions. Most humanitarian workers also soon learn that their work has results, beyond the immediate relief of suffering which is their purpose. The humanitarian ideal is to treat all human beings as equal, and to make need and suffering the only criteria that determine who we help. But so often we find that our impartial benevolence is not neutral in its effects. Again and again, in the conflicts of the last 20 years, we have seen humanitarian aid manipulated by warring factions and unscrupulous regimes to advance their political interests.