Note to Correspondents

Second Anniversary of Attack on United Nations Premises in Algiers

to Be Observed at Headquarters, 11 December

 

The second anniversary of the bombing of the United Nations premises in Algiers will be observed on Friday, 11 December, with a brief ceremony to be held from 9:45 a.m. to 10 a.m. in the General Assembly Building public lobby.

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is expected to attend the ceremony, which is in remembrance of the 17 United Nations staff members killed in Algiers two years ago.  The names of the fallen will be read out, after which wreaths will be laid and a moment of silence observed.

On 11 December 2007, 17 staff members were among the dozens of people killed in two car bomb attacks in Algiers.  The victims were Saadia Boucelham, Samia Hammoutene, Chadli Hamza, Mohamed Khelladi, Steven Olejas, Hind Boukroufa and Djamal Rezzoug of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP); Abderrahim Hanniche of the International Labour Organization (ILO); Mustapha Benbara, Kamel Sait and Adnane Souilah of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA); Hakim Si Larbi of the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS); Gene Luna of the World Food Programme (WFP); Babacar Ndiaye of the Department of Safety and Security; Karim Bentebal and Nabil Slimani of the Office of the High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR); and Mohamed Lasli of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO).

The memorial event is organized by the Staff Council Standing Committee on the Security and Independence of the International Civil Service on behalf of the UNDP/UNFPA/UNOPS Staff Council, the United Nations Staff Union and the United Nations International Civil Servants Federation (UNISERV).

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For information media • not an official record