The UN came together in sadness and solidarity to honour its 21 staff members, who died on board an Ethiopian Airlines flight which crashed on Sunday.
The ceremonies were held at UN Headquarters in New York and Geneva, to remember the staff members who were among the 157 passengers and crew members on board the ill-fated Ethiopian airplane Flight 302, which crashed near Addis Ababa.
He also expressed the UN’s deepest condolences and heartfelt wishes to their families and loved ones during this extremely difficult time.
The UN chief also expressed condolences to the people and Government of Ethiopia, who lost nine of their citizens on board.
Addressing a sombre gathering in the lobby of the Secretariat building, Guterres described the diverse group of UN staff members, who perished as coming from “many areas of expertise” and nations around the world.
The secretary-general called on all across the UN system, to continue that mission.