New York, 19 December 2007 – United Nations staff in New York, led by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, honoured the memory of colleagues who died in the 11 December terrorist attack in Algiers with a silent march in front of the world body's Headquarters.
Seventeen UN staff members lost their lives when a car bomb destroyed the offices of the UN Development Programme (UNDP) and damaged those of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in the Algerian capital. A second car bomb exploded near a court building.
On his return from Algiers, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon told staff at UN Headquarters that his visit to the attack site and his meetings with the families of the victims and the injured were "profoundly emotional and heartbreaking."
Secretary-General's remarks to UN staff in Algiers