Concerns about security

Letter from CCISUA and FICSA to the Secretary General of the UN

Sir, it is with profound concern regarding the current deployment of UN staff to Iraq that the Federation of International Civil Servants’ Associations (FICSA) and the Coordinating Committee for International Staff Unions and Associations of the United Nations System (CCISUA), which together represent more than 60,000 staff in the UN common system, write to you at the commencement of the 59th session of the General Assembly.

You may recall that on 30 March 2004, FICSA wrote to you expressing its grave concern over the decision that was communicated to the Security Council on 24 March 2004 to send UN experts to Iraq to help with the hand- over of power and future elections ahead of the planned transfer of sovereignty to an interim Iraqi government on 30 June 2004. At that time, FICSA also enunciated its further concerns about the intention to establish a resident UN presence in Iraq that would require the re-deployment of staff in the country. Regrettably, this letter remains unanswered.

CCISUA, as well as the New York Staff Union, which is a member of CCISUA, have also persisted in their efforts to communicate their concerns regarding the deployment of UN staff to Iraq. Neither has received any formal response indicating that these concerns have been acknowledged. In this respect, we refer to CCISUA and FICSA’s joint letter of 5 September 2003 and CCISUA’s letter of 22 August 2003.

In its letter of 30 March 2004, FICSA referred to the deteriorating security situation in Iraq. Worldwide media coverage over the last few months only confirms this sad fact as we witness the dire, deadly and increasingly worsening situation in Iraq. Spates of bombings, mortar attacks, small- arms fire and barbarous executions of civilians have become daily occurrences. Combatants do not distinguish between targets, be they heavily armed military units, unarmed innocent civilians or even children. According to the New York Times (September 29,
2004), data from a private security company on the attacks over the past 30 days show that there have been 2,368 attacks and that no province has been spared.

Long gone are the days when UN staff were immune from such violent acts. Instead, the UN regrettably has become a direct target, one that is particularly prone to attacks by ruthless extremist terrorist factions. This has been widely acknowledged by Member States, senior UN officials and administrators in the system and is aptly illustrated by the unprecedented security arrangements in place for the current session of the General Assembly. In Iraq, the vulnerability of UN staff to such attacks is even greater.

It has come to our attention that, at present, some 28 to 32 staff members have already been deployed to Iraq, on a rolling basis, and that a cap of 35 staff members that may be deployed to Iraq has been agreed to. For FICSA and CCISUA, just one staff member is one staff member too many in Iraq. Furthermore, in light of recent media reports that have some Member States calling for an increased UN presence in the country, FICSA and CCISUA are extremely worried that the current maximum of 35 staff members will be stretched to allow for a larger number of staff to be deployed.

While FICSA and CCISUA are cognizant of the extreme political pressures that you face regarding the role of the UN in Iraq and while we understand that the people of Iraq deserve the support and assistance of the international community, we cannot condone the deployment of UN staff to Iraq in view of the unprecedented high level of risk to the safety and security of staff.

We also note that the call to Member States for resources to create a multinational security force, contained in S/RES/1546 (2004), remains largely unanswered, thus making it even more difficult to comprehend why UN staff members would be sent to Iraq when troops are not being deployed in the country. As stated in FICSA’s letter of 30 March 2004, until such time as the security conditions for UN staff returning to Iraq have reached a level that is significantly stable and improved so as to allow for the safest and most suitable conditions under which staff may work, FICSA and CCISUA, on behalf of the thousands of staff we represent, will continue to oppose the deployment of staff to Iraq.

Last year we witnessed the tragic death of 22 colleagues in Baghdad. We do not wish to witness the same again. We do not wish to contemplate the thought of UN staff being subject to hostage taking and threatened with execution at the mercy of those who know no mercy. We do not believe that we should wait for such extreme acts to realize that the time for deploying UN staff to Iraq has not yet arrived. Our resolve will not waiver because we do not wish to see any further tragedies unfold.

Although we acknowledge that efforts have been and continue to be made to strengthen the UN’s security management system, it must be said that, while both federations continue to fully support such efforts, even the best-intentioned and executed security plans cannot guarantee the protection of UN staff in the current environment. If the world’s most heavily armed and equipped military cannot guarantee its own safety in such an environment, how can the safety of UN staff be even remotely ensured?

While we understand the extreme political pressures calling for the presence (and an increased one at that) of the UN in Iraq, FICSA and CCISUA appeal to your good judgement to ensure that no further staff members be sent to Iraq and that those already deployed be instructed to leave as soon as possible.

Sir, we count on you to set an example for the international community – one of leadership on the world stage but also of leadership and personal accountability behind the closed doors of the secretariat. We look to you to ensure the safety of our colleagues, permitting them to work in an environment where their security is assured. Sadly, such an assurance is impossible given the present situation in Iraq. It is for this reason that we make this appeal to you.

We end this letter with a reminder of two assumptions regarding security concerns in Iraq, both of which were included in your report S/2003/1149 of 5 December 2003, with the latter reaffirmed in your most recent report S/2004/625 0f 5 August 2004:

“(a) The security environment [in Iraq] is unlikely to improve in the short to medium term, and could deteriorate further;

“(b) The United Nations will remain a high- value, high-impact target for terrorist activity in Iraq for the foreseeable future.

The first assumption has already been proven to be correct. We trust that you will not encourage the circumstances that would enable the second assumption to thrive.

Please accept, Sir, the assurances of our highest consideration.