Full Remarks: This morning, the United Nations family will come together to pay tribute to 168 of our colleagues who lost their lives in 2024 . It is always an intimate ceremony, shared with families of the fallen. But I believe this occasion also calls for a more public reflection.The women and men we honour today were not just names on a list.They were extraordinary individuals -- each one a story of courage, compassion, and service.They were driven by the pursuit of peace . By the urgency to ease human suffering. And by the conviction that every person, everywhere, deserves dignity and protection. This past year has been especially devastating in Gaza.Today's ceremony includes recognition of 126 of our colleagues killed there -- 125 of them serving with UNRWA. More than one in every 50 UNRWA staff in Gaza has been killed in this atrocious conflict. This is the highest staff death toll in United Nations history.Some were killed delivering life-saving aid; others alongside their ...
