FIRST ANNIVERSARY OF UN BAGHDAD TRAGEDY TO BE OBSERVED ON 19 AUGUST IN NEW YORK, GENEVA, AMMAN

Note to Correspondents

FIRST ANNIVERSARY OF UN BAGHDAD TRAGEDY TO BE OBSERVED

ON 19 AUGUST IN NEW YORK, GENEVA, AMMAN

Ceremonies commemorating the first anniversary of the bombing of the United Nations headquarters in Baghdad, in which 22 of our colleagues were killed and many were injured, will take place simultaneously in Geneva, New York and Amman on Thursday, 19 August.  The Secretary-General will attend the ceremony in Geneva, which commences at 2:30 p.m., where he will make a few remarks and unveil a commemorative plaque.  The Deputy Secretary-General will attend the ceremony in New York, which commences at 8:30 a.m. in the Trusteeship Council Chamber, where she will unveil an identical commemorative plaque.  The Deputy Special Representative for the Secretary-General and Humanitarian Coordinator for Iraq, RossMountain, will attend the ceremony in Amman, which commences at 3:30 p.m., where he will also unveil an identical commemorative plaque.

Members of the families of our lost friends and colleagues, members of staff who were in Baghdad and who were injured in the bombing, or whose lives were touched by it, will also be present.  Invitations have been extended to all United Nations staff, Permanent Missions and Specialized Agencies.

The ceremonies will be simple and brief and will last approximately one hour.  The ceremonies in New York and Amman will be connected by live video-link to the ceremony in Geneva, which will also be webcast on the Internet (www.un.org/webcast).

Journalists with United Nations accreditation may attend, but are kindly requested not to approach any of the family members for interviews.

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