Today, the United Nations family will gather at all duty stations and field missions in celebration of the courage, commitment and sacrifice of the men and women who have answered the noble call to become international civil servants.

As an expression of his deep appreciation for the tireless work, efforts and contributions of all UN staff members around the globe, the Secretary-General has dedicated 25 October as UN Staff Day at all duty stations and field missions. 

UN Staff Day was first observed in 1953 but has not been marked in recent years. The decision to reinstate the observance was aligned with an appeal from staff representatives to revive the venerable tradition, which acknowledges and celebrates the work of UN staff.

The commemoration of UN Staff Day has a special significance for all the dedicated colleagues gathered here today. All of you are putting yourselves in harm’s way on a daily basis to support the people of Somalia as their country recovers from 25 years of armed conflict and instability. The dangers facing UN staff in Somalia are all too real: ten of our colleagues have been killed in the line of duty since 2013, when the UN officially relocated from Nairobi to Somalia.  The 10 include three national staff members in just the past 12 months.

May I ask you, colleagues, to observe a minute of silence in their honour and in honour of all fellow staff members who have made the ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty around the world.

Thank you. Colleagues, you endure living conditions that are harsh most of the time, separated from your loved ones for weeks and frequently for several months at a time. Reminders of the extremely precarious security situation occur on a regular basis, and we live and work in cities and towns that are mostly off-limits to us unless our travel is conducted in armored convoys and for set periods of time.   

Yet against that backdrop of chronic insecurity and personal privation, the UN family in Somalia has achieved a genuine sense of community and camaraderie. As Acting Head of mission, I applaud the bravery and esprit de corps that you bring to your respective duties and responsibilities.

The celebrated author Ernest Hemingway famously defined courage as grace under pressure, and all of you embody that quality in your own distinctive ways. I have served in a number of global hot spots during my UN career, ranging from Liberia and Sierra Leone to South Sudan and Iraq-Kuwait. And this country, Somalia, was my very first overseas assignment for the UN as a young political officer in the early 1990s. Yet, with all that experience I have acquired over the years, I continue to draw inspiration from the selfless commitment that you, our staff, bring to the commendable task of supporting the Somali people and their leaders in their quest for the lasting peace and prosperity that they so richly deserve.

These are momentous times we find ourselves in as Somalia forges ahead with an electoral process that will produce a new federal parliament, whose members will vote in a presidential election next month. The United Nations is making a vital contribution to this important milestone on Somalia’s road to an eventual democratic transition.

Whatever your role is in Somalia -- whether you are a Political Affairs Officer, a driver, an engineer, an admin officer, a veterinarian or a mine clearance expert -- through your presence and hard work, you are helping the people of this country to lay the foundations of a more peaceful, just and prosperous country.

In conclusion, I wish to pay tribute to our Secretary-General, Mr. Ban Ki-moon, who has ably led our organization for the past 10 years. We thank him for the support and inspiration he has given to us as his staff, and for his contribution to addressing the ever increasing peace, security, humanitarian and development challenges facing humanity.

I also take this opportunity to congratulate our incoming Secretary-General, Mr. Antonio Guterres. We would like him to know that in a world where so many countries racked by conflict, are deteriorating, Somalia is steadily coming together and offers a potential success story. We look forward to welcoming him to Mogadishu soon to give his support to our efforts.

As we take these few minutes to celebrate UN Staff Day, let us reaffirm our collective commitment to the worthy values and principles that our Organization stands for, and which promise a better world for present and future generations to come.    

Thank you very much.