SECRETARY-GENERAL SAYS ESCALATION IN ATTACKS ON UN BLUE AND IN VIOLATIONS OF INTERNATIONAL HUMANITARIAN LAW IS DEEPLY TROUBLING PHENOMENON
Press Release
SG/SM/7024
SECRETARY-GENERAL SAYS ESCALATION IN ATTACKS ON UN BLUE AND IN VIOLATIONS OF INTERNATIONAL HUMANITARIAN LAW IS DEEPLY TROUBLING PHENOMENON
19990611 Addressing Summit on Security of International Civil Service, Kofi Annan Stresses 'Safety and Security of Staff is Non-Negotiable Issue'Following is the text of the address by Secretary-General Kofi Annan to the second Summit on the Security and Independence of the International Civil Service, in New York on 9 June:
It is good to see you all here. I would like to pay tribute to the Coordinating Committee for International Staff Unions and Associations (CCISUA) and the Staff Committees of New York and Geneva for maintaining an intense focus on the question of staff security. This is, literally, a life-or-death issue for the international civil service. United Nations personnel continue to die and suffer grievous injury in the line of duty.
Though risk comes with the territory, I share your sense that the situation seems to have got out of hand in the last few years, and that much more needs to be done to get it back under control.
This meeting could hardly be more timely. The United Nations has just begun a new mission in East Timor in a very troubling security environment. Even before the arrival of our personnel, threats against the Organization were voiced. The United Nations will soon be sending staff to Kosovo as well, under no less hazardous conditions.
You may have heard it said that the United Nations is being side-lined. The number of United Nations peacekeepers in the field may have declined. But the reality is that the international community continues to turn to the United Nations.
Again and again, United Nations personnel are being asked to leave their homes and their families for the front-lines of the fight against misery and hatred. Again and again, our people can be found bringing aid and hope to the victims of natural and man-made disasters.
That is a measure of the great faith that is placed in our unique combination of skills and our more than half-century of experience. But it is also, all too often, a measure of the political failings and inaction of Member States that have bred so many of these crises in the first place.
Since the first staff security summit in February last year, more than 20 United Nations civilian personnel have been killed. Four United Nations aircraft, one in Côte d'Ivoire, one in Guatemala and two in Angola, have gone down with substantial loss of life. Though not strictly a security issue, the crash of Swissair 111 also took from us beloved and irreplaceable colleagues.
Just last week, a soldier serving with the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) was killed by an errant Israeli missile. Kidnapping, arrest, detention and harassment have continued to be frequent occurrences. Meanwhile, the fate of some 50 staffers, some of them detained or missing since the 1970s, remains unknown.
In the face of such loss and distress, other steps over the past year may not seem like much. But a number of significant gains have been made that promise improvements in the overall situation.
This past January, the Convention on the Safety of the United Nations and Associated Personnel, adopted by the General Assembly in 1994, finally entered into force and President Mehri Madarshahi has spoken very eloquently.
Today, at this ceremony, the staff will be presenting tokens of appreciation to representatives of the 25 Governments that have ratified the agreement, which makes it an international crime to abduct or kill United Nations and associated personnel. I urge the other Governments that have signed it to join this honour roll as soon as possible.
And to those who remain outside the agreement, I repeat what I have said before: these are your own citizens venturing out into peril. They have a right to greater respect and assurance than you are giving them at present.
I also call on States to sign and ratify another international agreement: the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court. The Statute is a landmark achievement in the advancement of international law, and includes language making it a war crime to attack personnel involved in a humanitarian assistance or peacekeeping mission in accordance with the United Nations Charter. The definition applies to both international and internal conflicts.
Of course, the real value of any agreement lies in its implementation. Governments must live up to their words.
- 3 - Press Release SG/SM/7024 11 June 1999
Several Governments have made admirable contributions and pledges to the Trust Fund for Security of United Nations Staff that was established last year by the Administrative Committee on Coordination. I am pleased to announce today that the Fund has received $1 million from the Government of Japan, fulfilling a pledge it made earlier this year. Norway has donated $100,000. Monaco and Senegal have also contributed.
Such generosity provides an example for others to follow. Money is a crucial factor in our ability to provide better security.
So far the Trust Fund money has gone towards a variety of initiatives. A mobile training team has been established consisting of two security officers and a stress counselor. The team recently trained more than 1,000 staff members, local and international, in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Tajikistan. This was just a first step. More training is planned as more resources become available.
One lesson that emerged from this exercise is that the importance of stress management has been vastly underrated. Stress management will continue to be part of the training package, but we realize now that there is a desperate need for qualified stress counsellors in the field.
The Security Coordinator's office has also carried out a workshop on the management of hostage incidents. We are continuing to strengthen inter-agency cooperation, as well as cooperation between United Nations organizations and peacekeeping operations. We are exploring the possibility of creating rapid response teams for crisis situations.
We are hoping to develop computer software that would enhance the security management system. And we are looking at some of the less well known issues involved in staff security, such as airworthiness standards and other aspects of air travel in volatile situations.
While there is no way to provide absolute assurance against someone intent on harming the United Nations, there is much that we can do and I wish to assure you that we are all dealing with this as a matter of urgency and we will press ahead.
The escalation in attacks on United Nations blue and in violations of international humanitarian law is a deeply troubling phenomenon. So is the erosion of staff morale. I would be especially distressed if staff were to be discouraged from applying for field assignments.
- 4 - Press Release SG/SM/7024 11 June 1999
I am confident that will not happen, because I know we all feel even more strongly the call of duty and the challenge of direct involvement with the problems the United Nations is tackling around the world. Our place is where the action is. We wouldn't have it any other way. And, of course, we must be able to fulfil the mandates given to us by the Member States.
The safety and security of staff is a non-negotiable issue. This summit is an important step in getting that message across and I want to again congratulate the staff on their efforts. I promise to use every opportunity to lead the charge and take the case to the Member States.
* *** *