UN
Following losses in Kabul, UN staff council calls for more support for convention on staff safety
KABUL - In the wake of the terrorist attack in the Afghan capital of Kabul last Friday, which, amongst others, left four United Nations personnel dead, the head of a UN staff body has called on Member States to sign a UN convention designed to help ensure the safety of its personnel.
Speaking at a memorial service held on Monday in the Swiss city of Geneva, which hosts a number of the world body’s various agencies, the President of the Staff Coordinating Council at the UN Office at Geneva, Ian Richards, said working for the UN has become “more and more dangerous.”
“Last year 58 personnel were targeted by terrorists and insurgents, making it a particularly murderous year. This year sadly promises more of the same. This is the sad reality that we as UN staff face today. The UN flag is now a target, not a shield and we are targeted because of who we are and what we do,” said Mr. Richards at the gathering, which was attended by staff and high-ranking officials, including the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay, and the UN Human Rights Council President, Baudelaire Ndong Ella.
The Convention on the Safety of United Nations and Associated Personnel, which entered into force in January 1999, has so far been signed by only 43 countries.
The memorial service in Geneva was one of many held in different parts of the world, including in the Iranian capital, Tehran, over the past few days.
The Kabul attack on the Lebanese Restaurant Taverna – for which the Taliban have claimed responsibility and involved a suicide bomber attack as well as gunmen – killed 21 civilians, including the four UN staff members. The four individuals were: Vadim Nazarov, a Senior Political Officer with the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA); Basra Hassan and Nasreen Khan, who both worked for the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), as a Nutrition Specialist and a Health Specialist, respectively; and Wabel Abdallah, the Resident Representative of the UN-affiliated specialized agency, International Monetary Fund (IMF).
Since the bombing of a UN compound in the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, in August 2003, which killed 17 UN staff members, more than 560 colleagues have died in the line of duty, according to Mr. Richards.
He urged UN staff, management and Member States to work together “to do all we can to change this situation, to restore the UN flag as a shield, to strengthen protection and ensure acceptance of our mission and goals.”
“We owe this to the 560 colleagues killed since Baghdad. For the 58 who died last year. And we owe this to Basra, Nasreen, [Wabel] Khanjar and Vadim, who so steadfastly and selflessly carried out the work of this great organization,” he added.
Also in Geneva, at a separate meeting today, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and other attendees observed a minute of silence for the fallen colleagues in Kabul.
Speaking at the memorial service held in Tehran on Monday, the UN Resident Coordinator for Iran, Gary Lewis, said, “I use this opportunity to repeat sincere condolences from the entire UN team in Iran to the families of all those who died in this inhumane and senseless attack.”
The head of UNAMA’s office in Tehran, Pavel Ershov, and the UNICEF Representative in Iran, Munir Safieddin, also spoke at the ceremony.
In his comments following the attack in Kabul, Secretary-General Ban described it as “totally unacceptable and a violation of international humanitarian law,” while calling for the perpetrators to be held accountable.
In his message to the memorial service held in Kabul on Sunday, Mr. Ban said the UN family in Afghanistan suffered “a tragic blow” with the loss of the four staff, who represented “the highest ideals of our Organization.”
In their statements and remarks, both Mr. Ban and his Special Representative for Afghanistan, Ján Kubiš, pledged continued UN support to the conflict-affected country.
Related articles:
- UN mourns loss of staff members killed in Kabul restaurant attack
- Security Council press statement on Afghanistan
- UNAMA PRESS STATEMENT: UNAMA condemns deadly attack on Kabul restaurant
