Yemen - Marking the more than 3 Years that 23 UN Staff Members and many other humanitarians have been held captive : UN News

Yemen is a particularly dangerous place to work for the United Nations.

"In Yemen, 23 UN staff members, along with many other humanitarian workers, remain detained – some for more than three years,” the President of the United Nations General Assembly, Philémon Yang, said in his message to mark the international day.

The staffers are being held by de facto Houthi authorities in areas of the country under their control. Yemen has been embroiled in civil conflict since 2014 between Houthi militants and the internationally-recognized Government.

Mr. Yang said that “one UN aid worker from the World Food Programme has died while detained,” adding that those colleagues had “dedicated themselves to educating children, providing vital medical and food assistance to millions, and promoting peace and dialogue.

“Their work must be protected. I stand in full solidarity with all those detained. They must be released and protected."

The staff detained in Yemen are all national staff and, prior to their detention, worked with UN and other agencies including the UN human rights office (OHCHR), the UN Development Programme, UNICEF, UNESCO, the World Food Programme, and the NGOs, CARE, Save the Children, and Oxfam.

The President of the General Assembly – which comprises all 193 UN member states – called for the immediate and unconditional release of all UN staff detained in Yemen and elsewhere.
Solidarity and action

The International Day of Solidarity with Detained and Missing Staff Members marks the anniversary of the abduction of Alec Collett, a former journalist working for the UN Palestine refugee agency, UNRWA, who was abducted by a gunman in 1985. His body was found in Lebanon's Bekaa Valley in 2009.

The aim of the international day is to mobilize action, demand justice and strengthen the resolve to protect UN staff and peacekeepers, as well as workers in the non-governmental community and the media.