A moving moment
Rare are the moving moments in our lives of international civil servant, however reading the letter of the Secretary-General was the one of them (see cover of UN Special and page 08).
Just and simple words to describe the disappointment that many of us felt. Just and simple words to give us the courage to continue to perform our often difficult and dangerous task.
In turn, Mr. Secretary-General, we would like to let you know how much we are proud to have such a man as you at the head of our Organization. An honest man who fights relentlessly so that the ideals of the United Nations might triumph.
A number of you came to ask us « to do something « to show the Secretary-General that we are all whole-heartedly with him. That is why UN Special suggests that you send just a few words by e-mail, such as: «Mr. Secretary-General we are all behind you» to the following address: unspecial@unece.org. We shall send them on.
A hommage…
In his letter the Secretary-General mentions those of us who fight to overcome the plagues which threaten humanity. I would like to seize this occasion to pay tribute first of all to the efficiency of our colleagues of the WHO, in particular those of the office of Hanoï who in a few days managed to mobilize the whole world against an epidemic of pneumonia which threatens us all. I would in particular like to honour our WHO colleague, Dr. Carlo Urbani, who paid for this dedication with his life – this dedication that we hope will save millions of other lives.
Editor-in-Chief, Jean Michel Jakobowicz