“These tragedies weigh heavily on all of us and should shake the conscience of the entire world”said António Guterres.
“Let me be clear. UN staff should never be targets. Attacks on peacekeepers and humanitarian workers are a violation of international lawincluding international humanitarian law.
More recently, a UNIFIL peacekeeper was killed in Lebanon last week, the seventh since the latest round of conflict broke out in March between Hezbollah and Israeli forces.
‘Diverse origins, but united in purpose’
At UN Headquarters, the women and men commemorated include 97 civilian staff and 39 uniformed military and police peacekeepers, from 32 countries, “from diverse backgrounds, but united in purpose,” Guterres said.
“We remember these staff for their work,” said the UN chief.
“They were teachers who educated children, medical workers who healed the sick and injured, drivers who delivered aid and many, many more.”
More than half of those killed were from Gaza
Among the fallen, 80 served in the UN agency that serves Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, in Gaza, he continued, noting that more UN colleagues have died in the enclave than in any other conflict or disaster in the organization’s history.
“Some died along with their families in their homes or in the places where they sought refuge.” Mr. Gutteres said. “Others were killed while carrying out their duties in offices, in shelters and in the communities they served.”
Also commemorated were those serving in peacekeeping missions around the world, including the Central African Republic, MINUSCA, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, MONUSCO and South Sudan, UNMISS.
‘You made our world a better place’
At a time when multilateralism is under attack and powerful forces “would have us believe that the United Nations – that very unity – is a chimera,” Guterres said, “the people we commemorate today prove otherwise. You made our world a better place.”
During the commemoration, the UN chief, along with the presidents of the General Assembly and the Security Council, lit a candle representing an eternal flame and observed a minute of silence, followed by UN officials reading the names of the deceased aloud with a live performance by a violinist in the background.
Since 2011, the Secretary-General has instituted an annual memorial service at United Nations Headquarters in New York. The service commemorated 168 UN personnel and peacekeepers who died in the line of duty in 2024 and 188 in 2023.