CCISUA, FICSA Seek Special Session of Security Council on U.N. Staff SafetyThe Coordinating Committee for International Staff Unions and Associations of the United Nations (CCISUA) and the Federation of International Civil Servants Associations (FICSA) Friday urged the United Nations Security Council to convene a special session to consider the safety and security of U.N. staff around the world.Introducing their petition on the safety and security of U.N. staff to the General Assembly, the CCISUA and the FICSA said it is time for the Security Council to address the prevailing problems faced by the United Nations staff and associated personnel while in the line of duty. Expressing grave concern on the safety and security of U.N. staff, the CCISUA and the FICSA said preventive and preparatory measures for staff safety and security should become an integral part of the peacekeeping and peacebuilding efforts. The safety and security of U.N. personnel has been a great concern for the United Nations. Over the past few years, in response to the mandates entrusted to them by member states, U.N. staff members are increasingly being sent to provide assistance in situation of open warfare and hostility. As a result, from 1992 to 2000, 198 civilian staff have lost their lives in the service of the United Nations. Some 240 staff members have been taken hostages or kidnapped in 63 separate incidents since 1994. U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan has recommended a series of measures to protect the safety and security of U.N. staff. |
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