UN mourns staff members killed in Kabul attack

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon led United Nations staff in United Nations on Friday in remembering the colleagues who were killed in an attack on a guest house in the Afghan capital of Kabul earlier this week, and hailed all the men and women working for the world body in Afghanistan.

Jossie Esto of the Philippines, who worked for the UN Development Program (UNDP) election team, Lewis Maxwell, a close protection officer from the United States, Laurance Mefful, a UN security officer from Ghana, and Lydia Wonwene, a UNDP elections officer from Liberia, were killed in the Wednesday attack, while nine other UN staffers were wounded, UN officials said here.

The identity of a fifth UN staff member killed when Taliban militants attacked the guest house, where 34 UN staffers were staying, still needs to be confirmed.

"These women and men went to Afghanistan with many talents. But they shared a common goal, that is, to help the Afghan people," said Ban.

"They went despite the risks. They went to support another election and the opportunity for the Afghan people to shape their destiny," he told the gathering at UN Headquarters.

"Together, we send our deepest condolences to their families --and also to the families of those Afghans who lost their lives to this terrorist attack," he said.

The secretary-general highlighted in particular the bravery of the UN security officers who held off the attackers for at least an hour, fighting in the corridors and rooftop of the building, and thereby saving many lives. "I am so grateful for their courage and bravery and sacrifice," he said.

The United Nations on Thursday flew its blue flag at half-mast at the UN Headquarters in New York to mourn the fallen UN staff members before the UN Secretariat Building in the compound on the First Avenue in midtown Manhattan, central New York City, and another blue flag was seen flying at half-mast near the visitor's entrance here.

"Increasingly, the United Nations is being targeted. In this case, precisely because of our support for the Afghan elections," UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon told reporters here after he briefed the closed-door meeting of the Security Council on Thursday.

"We are not deterred," Ban said. "But we can not do it alone, we need support of the member states."

"We must realistically assess the situation and put in place more effective projections for our staff as they perform their crucial tasks," he said. "This was the main purpose my briefing to the Security Council."

Also addressing the Friday gathering was Emma Mefful, who described her "husband and best friend" -- UN security officer Laurance Mefful -- as a selfless man who always went out of his way to help others.

"He lived a life based on two philosophies: loving his Lord and loving his neighbor. It was therefore not surprising about his heroic actions at a time of crisis, especially doing something to save the lives of others," she said. "That's just really Laurance."

Ann M. Veneman, the executive director of the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF), voiced her agency's grave concern about a colleague who was in the guesthouse and is still unaccounted for.

She added that the incident in Kabul is another painful reminder of how UN staff continue to work in difficult and dangerous environments to assist those who are most in need.

Likewise, UNDP Administrator Helen Clark saluted the courage of those who chose to serve in difficult circumstances. "These horrific acts test our courage not only to do our jobs in the field, but also to hold fast to the ideals which took us there," she stated.

The dedication shown daily by UN staff, she said, needs to be met by an equal commitment by all member states to fund and support the organization in providing the best possible security arrangements in dangerous environments.

Ban said that the UN is urgently reviewing the security environment throughout Afghanistan, and is exploring the feasibility of bringing in additional security units to guard UN facilities and guest houses.

The UN will also be consolidating its staff now scattered among many different locations in Kabul and may suggest that personnel not directly engaged in critical duties be re-located over the coming weeks. In addition, Ban is dispatching a senior UN official to the Afghan capital to express sympathy and solidarity with the staff.

Later Friday, the secretary-general is scheduled to brief the UN General Assembly and ask for rapid action on the UN security budget. "Despite the clear need, our security management system continues to suffer from resource constraints," he said.

He said he will ask for expanded authority to enter into commitments required for security measures in case of crisis, as well as funds to help build a support unit for staff who have been victims of malicious acts.

So far this year, he noted, 27 civilian personnel have lost their lives to violence, more than half of them in Afghanistan and Pakistan. But he stressed his determination to carry out the UN's work, saying, "Let us remember. Let us honor. And let us continue."

Source: Xinhua