More than half of staff who died in service worked in Gaza, UN chief says at memorial

Published 8 June 2026 · world

“These tragedies weigh heavily on us all and should shock the conscience of the entire world,” António Guterres said. “Let me be clear. UN personnel

“These tragedies weigh heavily on us all and should shock the conscience of the entire world,” António Guterres said. “Let me be clear. UN personnel must never be targeted. Attacks on peacekeepers and humanitarian workers are a violation of international law, including international humanitarian law.” Most recently, a UNIFIL peacekeeper was killed in Lebanon last week – the seventh since the latest round of conflict erupted in March between Hezbollah and Israeli forces. ‘Diverse backgrounds, but united in purpose’ At UN Headquarters, the women and men commemorated include 97 civilian personnel and 39 uniformed military and police peacekeepers, coming from 32 countries, “diverse in background, but united in purpose”, Mr. Guterres said.

“We remember these staff through their work,” the UN chief stated. “They were teachers educating children, medical workers healing the sick and injured, drivers delivering aid and many, many more.” More than half of deceased were from Gaza Among the fallen, 80 served with the UN agency serving Palestine refugees, UNRWA, in Gaza, he continued, stressing that more UN colleagues have been killed in the enclave than in any other conflict or disaster in the history of the organization. “Some died alongside their families in their homes or in the places they sought refuge,” Mr. Gutteres said. “Others were killed while carrying out their duties in offices, in shelters and in the communities they served.” Also commemorated were those serving in peacekeeping missions around the world, including in the Central African Republic, MINUSCA, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, MONUSCO, and South Sudan, UNMISS.

‘You made our world a better place’ At a time when multilateralism is under attack and powerful forces “would have us believe that the United Nations – that unity itself – is a pipedream”, Mr. Guterres said, “the people we commemorate today prove otherwise. You made our world a better place.” During the memorial, the UN chief alongside presidents of the General Assembly and the Security Council lit a candle representing an eternal flame and held a minute of silence followed by UN officials reading the names of the deceased aloud with a live performance by a violinist in the background.

Since 2011, the Secretary-General has instituted an annual memorial service at UN Headquarters in New York. The service commemorated 168 UN personnel and peacekeepers who died in the line of duty in 2024 and 188 in 2023. Watch the whole ceremony here