International Day of Solidarity with Detained and Missing Staff Members

Since the founding of the United Nations (UN) in 1945, hundreds have lost their lives in its service. With an increasing scale and number of UN peacekeeping missions, more lives were lost during the 1990s than in the previous four decades combined. Recognising the increased likelihood of further UN-service related deaths, the Convention on the Safety of United Nations and Associated Personnel was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on 9th December 1994. The International Day of Solidarity with Detained and Missing Staff Members marks the abduction in 1985 of Alec Collett, a former journalist who was working for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).  His body was found 24 years later in Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley in 2009. This Day is to mobilise action, demand justice and strengthen the resolve to protect UN staff and peacekeepers, as well as colleagues in the non-governmental community and the press.

http://www.executedtoday.com/tag/alec-collett/