The United Nations honors the memory of 136 employees who were killed last year, including 80 in Gaza

Secretary-General António Guterres said: “More UN colleagues were killed in Gaza than in any other conflict or disaster in the history of the United Nations. Some alongside their families in their homes, in the places where they had sought safety. Others were killed in the line of duty, in offices and shelters, and in the communities they served.”

Following the tradition followed during the ceremony, the names of the United Nations personnel who died were read, after the approval of their families.

However, the United Nations was unable to reach the families of many of the UNRWA employees who were killed “Because (their family members) were also killed or forced to flee.” As the Secretary-General said.

UNRWA employees included teachers teaching children, medical workers treating the sick and injured, and drivers delivering aid, Guterres said.

At the memorial ceremony, the Secretary-General called on the audience to observe a minute of silence in memory of the lives of United Nations personnel who lost their lives over the past year in various regions, including 97 civilian employees and 39 peacekeepers from the military and police forces – from 32 countries, who came “From diverse backgrounds, but united in purpose.”

The Secretary-General stressed the prohibition of targeting United Nations personnel, and said that attacks on peacekeepers and humanitarian workers violate international law, including international humanitarian law.

He stressed commitment to the safety and security of United Nations personnel everywhere, and said: “We will never stop demanding accountability.”

Guterres indicated that this is the last memorial ceremony he will hold before the end of his second term in office at the end of this year, and he said: “Over ten years, I have seen our organization confront one challenge after another: a global pandemic, economic turmoil, climate chaos, and some of the most violent conflicts in years. But through it all, one constant has been the women and men of the United Nations: people at the ready with eyes and hearts open, risking everything for others.”

At a time when multilateral action is under attack and some forces are trying “to make us believe that the United Nations – in itself – is an unattainable dream,” as the Secretary-General said, “The people we commemorate today prove otherwise.”

He added: “Today we pledge to continue their journey. To our departed colleagues and friends: Thank you, you have made our world a better place. We will remember them now and always.”

In 2011, the Secretary-General of the United Nations established the annual memorial ceremony to be held at the organization’s permanent headquarters in New York in honor of the memory of employees who died during the year preceding the ceremony.