World First Aid Day 2025, observed on 13 September, underscores the universal right to health, dignity, and safety, particularly during disasters and armed conflicts. This day encourages communities worldwide to strengthen their capacity to respond collectively when emergencies arise and when resources are limited. Access to first aid is not only a practical necessity but a fundamental component of human rights, connecting directly to the core principles established in Article 27 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Ongoing conflicts—such as those in Gaza, Ukraine, and Sudan—alongside intensifying natural disasters fueled by climate change, have created unprecedented public health crises. Destruction of medical infrastructure, disrupted supply chains, and mass displacements undermine access to basic health services. Recent legal developments, like the 2025 advisory opinion from the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, recognize the climate emergency as directly linked to rights to health, life, water, food, and shelter. Climate-driven events—heatwaves, floods, and storms—further magnify these risks, especially for the most vulnerable: children, elders, the impoverished, and those with chronic health conditions. First aid serves as both an immediate and long-term response to these challenges. In settings where healthcare facilities are inaccessible, trained first aiders step in to deliver critical medical assistance—stopping severe bleeding, immobilizing injured limbs, and sustaining life until further support arrives. According to recent reports in the International Journal of First Aid Education and various Red Cross analyses, community-based first aid education is a scientifically validated strategy that strengthens resilience at the grassroots level. Simple knowledge—recognizing signs of heatstroke or hypothermia, properly responding to injuries—can make the difference between survival and tragedy.
Furthermore, first aid represents solidarity in action between neighbors. When disaster strikes, ordinary citizens, volunteers, and medical responders continue their work under extraordinary stress, often risking their own safety to aid those in need. They provide not only essential clinical care but also comfort and psycho-social support, countering trauma and loss even in the most challenging environments. These collective efforts embody a commitment to human rights and human dignity in practice, reminding us that the protection of life and health is a shared global responsibility.
World First Aid Day 2025 calls for everyone to recognize that learning first aid is a vital act of citizenship and compassion. Taking a first aid course—whether online or with a local training provider—empowers individuals to protect themselves and their communities and contributes to a more resilient and humane world. We encourage you to find a course today.
PhD, MPH, is a professor of emergency management and homeland security at the University of Akron in Ohio, USA. He works to establish resiliency behaviors in individuals, families, and communities to manage and recover quickly from emergencies and disasters. He is also founding editor-in-chief of the International Journal of First Aid Education, a free-to-read and free-to-publish in journal.
Senior Editor for the International Journal of First Aid Education, bringing expertise in public health education, large data sets, and learner-centered approaches. An advocate for democratizing first aid, she works internationally to train trainers of trainers in first aid and editing international first aid guidelines.