Note to Correspondents

Headquarters CEREMONY today TO DRAW ATTENTION OF STATES TO IMPORTANCE

OF BECOMING PARTY TO PROTOCOL ON STAFF SAFETY

 

Today at 12:30 p.m., a ceremony in Conference Room D will draw the attention of States to the importance of becoming party to the 2005 Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Safety of United Nations and Associated Personnel.  The ceremony will take place in the presence of the 14 States that are parties to the Optional Protocol:   Austria; Botswana; Gabon; Germany; Kenya; Liechtenstein; Monaco; Netherlands; Norway; Slovakia; Spain; Sweden; Switzerland and Tunisia.

United Nations Legal Counsel Nicolas Michel and Staff Union President Stephen Kisambira will thank those Member States, and draw attention to the fact that eight ratifications are still required for the instrument to come into force.

Under the 1994 Convention on the Safety of United Nations and Associated Personnel, States parties must ensure the safety and security of such personnel.  They must make murder, kidnapping or other attacks punishable by law.  States parties are bound to either prosecute offenders or extradite them to another State party having jurisdiction over the offenders.  The Convention has been ratified by 84 Member States, or 43 per cent of the United Nations membership.

The Optional Protocol extends the Convention’s legal protection to United Nations and associated personnel in peacebuilding missions that go beyond peacekeeping operations.  It provides legal protection to staff delivering emergency humanitarian assistance and to those providing political and development assistance in peacebuilding.

“The Optional Protocol is an effective means of extending protection to United Nations and related personnel, who often risk their lives to deliver humanitarian and other assistance,” said Mr. Kisambira.  “It will also be a deterrent to acts of violence in the field.  I urge Member States to quickly endorse the Optional Protocol:  it might end up protecting their own nationals.”

“The Optional Protocol has remedied a serious impediment in the application of the Convention,” according to Mr. Michel.  “Personnel involved in humanitarian, development and other non-peacekeeping operations were covered only through a declaration of exceptional risk.  The Protocol provides legal protection to United Nations and associated personnel involved in peacebuilding efforts.  Host States who wish to specify the scope of protection may make a declaration that they shall not apply the Protocol’s provisions with respect to the delivery of emergency humanitarian assistance in response to a natural disaster.”

The ceremony is organized by the Staff Council Standing Committee on the Security and Independence of the International Civil Service.

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For information media • not an official record