On International Day, Staff Union Renews Calls for Immediate Release of United Nations Personnel Unlawfully Arrested, Detained
The United Nations Staff Union and its Standing Committee on the Security and Independence of the International Civil Service today called on State authorities and armed groups to immediately release United Nations personnel unlawfully arrested and detained.
As of 15 March, 33 United Nations and associated personnel were detained by State authorities in 15 countries. In addition, one staff member was missing and two contractors remained in the custody of abductors.
Ian Richards, Vice-President of the United Nations Staff Management Committee, appealed today to all Governments and others to help secure the release of all staff and personnel held unjustly and against their will. "Every day that goes by is one too many for our abducted colleagues,” he said. “These are men and women who joined the United Nations to help others, but instead they must live daily in fear for their lives. The thoughts and prayers of the 70,000 staff of the United Nations are with them at this time and every day. It is an outrage that those who abduct relief workers should continue to go unpunished. The United Nations and its Member Governments must do all they can, and more than they are doing now, to secure our colleagues' release and bring their abductors to justice.”
National staff members are disproportionately affected. In 2013, those staff accounted for nearly 9 out of 10 United Nations personnel detained or arrested by State authorities. South Sudan is particularly troublesome, as humanitarian workers face the constant threat of kidnapping and harassment in trying to carry out their work. A World Food Programme (WFP) staff member and a contractor working for the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) are still missing after being abducted by gunmen in Malakal, Upper Nile State, in October 2014.
Abductions, kidnappings and “disappearances” of United Nations personnel by armed groups also involve the responsibility of the host country, the Staff Union and its Committee said. It is the duty of Member States to do the utmost to obtain the release of abducted or missing personnel and prosecute the perpetrators. In addition, Member States must provide a level of security allowing United Nations personnel to carry out their work.
According to the latest Secretary-General’s report on protection of United Nations personnel (A/69/406), 17 such personnel were abducted in 2013 and 138 were arrested and detained. Nine United Nations personnel were abducted and 41 were arrested and detained in the first six months of 2014. At times, the United Nations was denied access to the detainee and given no reasons for the arrest.
The 1994 Convention on the Safety of United Nations and Associated Personnel, which criminalizes the kidnapping of such personnel, has been ratified by only 92 Member States. Its 2005 Protocol, which extends legal protection to other categories of personnel, has been ratified by only 29 States. Clearly, Member States need to show stronger political will, the Staff Union and its Committee said.
The International Day of Solidarity with Detained and Missing Staff Members, 25 March, marks the anniversary of the abduction of Alec Collett, a former journalist and United Nations staff member who was working for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) when he was abducted by armed gunmen in 1985. With his remains having been found and returned to his family in 2009, the Day is also intended to honour his memory, and that of all those who have suffered a similar fate. The observance is organized by the United Nations Staff Union and its Standing Committee.