Note to Correspondents

FIFTH ANNIVERSARY OF ATTACK AGAINST United Nations OFFICE IN BAGHDAD

TO BE OBSERVED ON 19 AUGUST

 

Daedalus Quartet to Premier New Work in Memory of Staffers Killed While on Duty

The fifth anniversary of the bombing of the United Nations headquarters in Baghdad will be observed on Tuesday, 19 August, at a brief ceremony to be held at 10:15 a.m. in the public lobby of the General Assembly Building, in front of the memorial plaque located outside the Meditation Room.

The truck bomb attack of 19 August 2003 took the lives of 22 staff members, including the top United Nations envoy in Iraq, Sergio Vieira de Mello, and wounded more than 150.

A wreath-laying ceremony will pay tribute to the staff members killed and injured in that attack.  The names of the victims will be read and a moment of silence will be observed.

The ceremony, which is expected to be attended by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and survivors of the attack, will conclude with the world premiere of Song without Borders, a new work of classical music by composer Steve Heitzeg, written in memory of United Nations staff members who have perished in the line of duty.

In 2007 alone, 42 staff members of the United Nations system were killed around the world.  Since the first United Nations peacekeeping operation was established in 1948, 709 peacekeeping personnel have been killed in malicious acts, such as attacks, bombings and landmine explosions.

The four movements of the 15-minute work for string quartet are Universal Declaration, Blue Meditation (in remembrance of members of the United Nations family killed in the pursuit of peace), Unfinished Assignments (for Mr. Vieira de Mello and the people of the world) and Peaceful Resolution.

Emmy Award-winning composer Heitzeg offered to write a work for the fifth anniversary of the Baghdad attack.  The Minnesota-born artist was the recipient of the Archibald Bush Fellowship in 2005 and was named Composer of the Year at the 2000 Minnesota Music Awards.  He has written more than 100 works, including compositions for orchestra, chorus, chamber ensemble and film.

Founded in 2000, the Daedalus Quartet won the 2001 Grand Prize of the Banff International String Quartet Competition.  It is currently quartet in residence at Columbia University, following two seasons with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center.  Ayano Ninomiya (violin), Kyu-Young Kim (violin), Jessica Thompson (viola) and Raman Ramakrishnan (cello) will perform the work.

The event is organized by the United Nations Staff Union’s Committee on the Security and Independence of the International Civil Service.

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For information media • not an official record