To all of our current members, welcome back to Dhaka.  To all of our newcomers, welcome and warm wishes for a fulfilling tour in Bangladesh. 

Since I first arrived in Dhaka six years ago, the world has changed dramatically.  The most sincere defenders of human rights, individuals at all levels of society and diverse backgrounds, have fallen victim to the current crisis facing our global society.

On August 22, the UN mission in Iraq suffered a great tragedy with the bombing of the headquarters of its operations. My message this month is to honour the memory of Mr. Sergio Vieira de Mello, a veteran UN civil servant, and Brazilian national, whose service reflected the essence of the ideals and values embodied in the UN Charter and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

He was aptly described by his colleagues at the United Nations as a “defender of human rights and protector of refugees”, serving in some of the most challenging posts, as UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and in peacekeeping work missions in places, including Kosovo and East Timor. His last assignment in Iraq reflected his tireless effort to achieve in his life work the highest of values espoused by the UN.

The UN News Service reported the following:

In his dying message, among his last words to a rescue worker as he lay in the most extreme pain while pinned under the rubble of the devastated UN headquarters, [Mr. Vieira de Mello] cried out: “Don’t let them pull the mission out.” …In a ceremony on the tarmac of the International Airport in Baghdad, paying tribute to Mr. Vieira de Mello and the others who fell with him in the line of their international duty, Acting High Commissioner Bertrand Ramcharan declared: "We shall always cherish your memories. Our gratitude is eternal. We say to you that the United Nations shall live because of your sacrifices. We shall make it so. For the triumph of the United Nations Charter is inevitable. The vision of peace grounded in justice, respect for human rights and economic and social progress is eternal."

Whether we are in Geneva, New York, Iraq, Afghanistan, or Bangladesh, the mission of the UN, and its partners, remains paramount to bringing about the global society that Mr. Vieira de Mello envisioned.  Our prayers and thoughts are with his family and the families of his colleagues that died in this tragic event and with all of those who have worked and continue to work ceaselessly and sincerely for the advancement of peace and global prosperity.