UNITED NATIONS, Aug. 15 (Xinhua) -- The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) on Wednesday launched a petition with world leaders for the protection of civilians and aid workers in armed conflict.

The petition was launched on the occasion of World Humanitarian Day, which falls on Aug. 19.

"Each year on World Humanitarian Day, we stand in solidarity with the millions of people affected by conflict and the aid and health workers who risk their lives to assist them. We take the day as an opportunity to remind the world of our collective responsibility to bring that suffering to an end," said OCHA in a message.

The petition was launched prior to next month's gathering of world leaders in New York for the annual UN General Assembly General Debate.

Aug. 19 was designated as World Humanitarian Day by the UN General Assembly in 2008 to mark the bombing that targeted the UN Assistance Mission in Iraq on Aug. 19, 2003. The blast at the Canal Hotel in Baghdad killed 22 people, including the world body's top envoy in Iraq, Sergio Vieira de Mello.