6 June 2024<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Following are UN Secretary-General Ant\u00f3nio Guterres\u2019 remarks to the annual memorial service for fallen staff, in New York today:<\/p>\n
Today we remember and honour the 188 United Nations personnel who lost their lives in 2023 in the line of duty.<\/p>\n
I welcome the family members who have joined us, both in person and online. \u00a0Our hearts are with you.<\/p>\n
Among those personnel are 135 women and men who worked for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, UNRWA, in Gaza.\u00a0 That is by far the highest number of our personnel killed in a single conflict or natural disaster since the creation of the United Nations \u2014 a reality we can never accept.<\/p>\n
Some were killed with their families by bombardment of their homes; others were at work, both in offices and shelters.\u00a0 I repeat my call for a full accounting for each and every one of these deaths.\u00a0 We owe this to their family members and friends; to their colleagues; and to the world.<\/p>\n
Our UNRWA personnel lived and died as representatives of the international community in Gaza, and that community deserves an explanation.<\/p>\n
The United Nations has sought the consent of family members for the inclusion of their loved ones\u2019 names in today\u2019s service. \u00a0This is the practice established by our rules.<\/p>\n
Unfortunately, we were unable to contact many of the family members of our UNRWA colleagues because they have either been killed or forced from their homes by Israeli military operations.\u00a0 So today, we commemorate and honour some of those colleagues with their full names and pay tribute to others with their professional titles.<\/p>\n
They were teachers, drivers, doctors, sanitation workers, guards, pharmacists, administrative assistants and more.\u00a0 They were mothers, fathers, sons, daughters, husbands, wives.\u00a0 They were our colleagues. \u00a0They were our friends.<\/p>\n
I am personally devastated that despite our best efforts, we could not protect our personnel in Gaza.\u00a0 Today, we remember them, and we honour their dedication and service.<\/p>\n
The United Nations personnel who lost their lives in 2023 were from a total of 37 countries and 18 different United Nations entities.\u00a0 They were military, police and civilian personnel.\u00a0They were the embodiment of nations united. \u00a0They were multilateralism in action. \u00a0And they made the ultimate sacrifice for that cause.<\/p>\n
In our divided world, the values of the United Nations are more important than ever:<\/p>\n
As conflicts proliferate and countries devote more resources to weapons, we stand for peace through diplomacy and dialogue.<\/p>\n
As hatred and discrimination increase, we stand for the human rights and dignity of every single person.<\/p>\n
And as the global majority endure economic turmoil, we stand for inclusive, sustainable development that leaves no one behind.<\/p>\n
Despite our differences, we should all agree that those who serve these values under the UN flag are entitled to protection.<\/p>\n
Let us spend a moment of reflection in memory of our dear colleagues.<\/p>\n
We thank all our fallen colleagues for their service.\u00a0 We will do our best to provide adequate support to their surviving family members; we will continually review and improve our safety standards; and we will keep their memories alive.<\/p>\n
Today, we recommit to continuing their essential work to build lives of dignity and hope for all.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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