On 25 March 1985, Alec Collett was abducted by armed men while on assignment in Lebanon for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA). For more than 24 years, his wife and family hung onto hope and prayer until his body was finally found and identified in 2009. Alec Collett’s fate symbolizes the fate of too many staff members who have “disappeared” or have been detained for long periods while serving the United Nations.

Following is UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s message for World Tuberculosis Day, 24 March:

Following is UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s message for the International Day of Solidarity with Detained and Missing Staff Members, observed on 25 March:

Following are Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s Remarks at the High-level Interactive Dialogue on Water Cooperation, in New York, today, 22 March:

Following are UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s remarks at the concert in the General Assembly Hall on the occasion of the International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade, 22 March:

Following is UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s message for the International Day for the Right to the Truth Concerning Gross Human Rights Violations and for the Dignity of Victims, observed on 24 March:

Following is UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s message for World Water Day, observed on 22 March:

Following is UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s message for the International Day of Forests, to be observed on 21 March:

Following is UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s message for the International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade, to be observed on 25 March:

Following is UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s message for World Down Syndrome Day, 21 March: