'The service of the United Nations is a calling'.

We, whose work is so wrapped up in the tragedies of others, now face one of our own. Our senses reel from the sights and sounds of one of the darkest days in the history of the United Nations. On television, the image of our colleagues carried out on stretchers from a Canal Hotel in ruins. In our minds, the image of the same colleagues as we remember them--dynamic men and women in the prime of their lives--active, intense, full of hope and laughter, of compassion, above all, of determination to make things better.

All this leaves us bewildered and numb. It seems hard to believe that someone we shared an office with will never again walk through the door; never brighten our lives with their smiles; never excite us with their passions or impress us with their talent. United Nations personnel have been targeted before. We have gathered all too often in recent years to mourn and remember fallen colleagues. But this attack was more deliberate and vicious than anything that has been directed at us hitherto. It obliges us to look again at the conditions in which we work. Some of them may have to change, however sad and painful that is. There are many implications to be considered. But today we come together as a family--to grieve, and to pay tribute to those we have lost. As a family we must take time to mourn our dead. Whether clerical worker, lawyer, driver or special representative, Iraqi or international, each of these men and women made a unique and invaluable contribution to our work.

Each was committed to the human rights, sovereignty and well-being of the Iraqi people. And many had served the needs of other peoples too. Each braved hardships, set aside longings for home or for a quiet life, and conquered their fears in order to help others overcome an era of terrible suffering. Each showed the world the caring, principled face of the international civil service. Each gave us something to be proud of.

To the Baghdad staff, we cannot know the shock you feel. We can only say "thank you" for the tremendous fortitude you are showing in the midst of this terrible misfortune. Your work has been a source of great inspiration to all of us, and most of all to the people of Iraq. Condolences are reaching us from all over the world. Leaders and ordinary citizens alike are expressing enormous sorrow at what has happened. I hope you will all take some comfort from this outpouring of support and sympathy.

If there is one way to honour the memory of colleagues murdered in the line of duty, it is to carry on with our work, determined and undaunted. The United Nations will not be reckless. Nor, however, will it be intimidated. The sevice of the United Nations is not simply a job. It is a calling, and those who have attacked us will not deflect us from it. We shall find a way to continue our work--that is, to continue helping the Iraqi people to rebuild their country and regain their sovereignty, under leaders of their own choosing.

Adapted from remarks by the Secretary-General at a candlelight vigil at the Dag Hammarksjold Plaza in New York City on 20 August 2003 (above and right) to mourn and pay tribute to the women and men lost in the bombing of the United Nations office, in Baghdad the previous day. Staff members at UN Headquarters also participated in a silent march (left) around the central fountain, at the UN Secretariat circle, on 26 August.