A book in memory of ‘Sergio’

Paints a portrait of an uncommon man

Disbelief, anger, emotion, dread, profound sorrow…No matter what their nationality, their countries of origin, their places of assignment, UN officials all over the world shared common feelings on 19 August 2003, that terrible day described as “our 11 September”. An event whose repercussions went far beyond the confines of the organisation, a shock wave which circled the globe, as witness the thousands of messages of condolences that flooded in from every corner of the earth. People who had nothing to do with humanitarian work or human rights, who knew nothing of diplomacy and international affairs, were stunned, bewildered by the attack directed at Sergio Vieira de Mello and his team in Baghdad. Hundreds of anonymous people, who had never heard of him before, were prompted by the public statements made everywhere to express regret that he had never crossed their path.

We had that privilege. At different times during his career we had the occasion to work with this generous and cheerful person, who saw others in their own light, and whose disappearance was all the more cruel because of that. To help the public know better this peace activist, we accepted the proposal of a Swiss publisher, Serge Kaplun, to write a book about Sergio. By presenting the tributes of many other colleagues and friends, the book retraces the main stages in his professional life. It is neither a biography nor a work of history. Rather it seeks to inspire readers, particularly young people, with the best the UN has to offer, despite all its imperfections: an organisation to which it’s worth devoting one’s life, as Sergio did – not to play hero, but because he believed in it.