UNITED NATIONS, Aug. 17 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Friday laid a wreath at UN headquarters for his colleagues killed in the Aug. 19 2003 attack in Iraq that prompted the designation of the International Humanitarian Day.
After laying the wreath and observing a minute of silence, Guterres said he was personally close to some of the 22 victims, including their leader Sergio Vieira de Mello, who lost lives in the first mass terror attack deliberately targeting the UN.
"Many of you also lost friends from across the United Nations family. This was a huge personal loss to so many of us," he said, addressing UN staff present at the ceremony.
UN staff have been targeted by those who want to weaken them and make them afraid to do their job, he said, adding though he is committed to improving security for all UN staff, "our work will never be free from risk."
Guterres praised his colleagues' courage to carry out their mission, saying "the blue flag of the United Nations flies high because of the brave women and men who carry it to the farthest corners of the world."
He called on UN staff to continue about their work, including going to "dangerous places with the aim of making them safer," as a best way to pay tribute to the fallen humanitarian workers, peacekeepers, and military and civilian staff, noting that their legacy is lasting and "will be ever-present in our hearts."
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.
