World Humanitarian Day - Geneva Commemoration 2023

سيداتي وسادتي الحضور الكرام

ليس من السهل ابدا ان اقف امامكم في مثل هذا اليوم وبهذه المناسبة لاسرد لكم معاناتنا والامنا خلال السنوات الخمسة عشر الماضية،

جئتكم من بغداد المثقلة بجراحات الحروب والدمار ودماء ابنائها الذين قضوا خلال سنوات الحروب الطويلة او نتاج الاعمال الارهابية اليومية التي لم تستثن احدا شيخا، شابا، رجلا، امراة او طفلا ومنهم هذه الكوكبة الرائعة الاثنان والعشرون في مؤسسة جّل عملها هو خدمة الامن والسلام العالميين والدفاع من حقوق الانسان ومد يد العون والمساعدة للمنكوبين، كل من غادرنا في ذلك اليوم والايام المشؤومة الاخرى هم احبّة لنا واعزّة على نفوسنا وجزءا من كياننا، رحلوا نتيجة اعمال ارهابية مجردة من كل القيم الانسانية والمثل الاخلاقية والتعاليم الدينية والاعراف الجتماعية.

يوم التاسع عشر من اب فقدنا 22 امراة ورجلا بينهم شمعة عمري وقرة عيني وفلذة كبدي وامل مستقبل شيخوختي وزهو حياتي: ولدي الوحيد عمر قحطان الاورفه لي والذي نما حبه في قلبينا انا ووالدته قبل حتى ان يرى النور فقد احسسنا به في قلبينا قبل ان تراه اعيننا .. وعشنا معه طفولته البريئة ورعيناه حدثا ووجهناه لفعل الخير ومساعدة الاخرين وساندناه لاكمال دراسته في افضل مدارس بغداد.

عاش عمر كمعظم اخوانه العراقيين سنوات طويلة صعبة مرت على بلدنا الذي عانى حروبا عديدة وحصارا ظالما ودمارا كبيرا مما صعب ايجاد فرص العمل للكثيرين .. وكان ولدي عمر محظوظا عندما وجد ضالته في احدى المنظمات غير الحكومية الاجنبية التي جاءت للعراق لتساهم في الخدمات الانسانية بالتعاون مع المقر الاممي كموظف اداري .. وفي يوم التاسع عشر من اب كان يصطحب مديرته السيدة جيليان كلارك الى مقر الامم المتحدة في نفس الوقت الذي تعرض فيه المقر الى الهجوم الارهابي .. ليذهب هو والسيدة كلارك بالاضافة الى عشرين من العاملين في المنظمة ضحية هذا العمل الاجرامي الجبان..واكثر من 180 جريحا ومئات الاحياء الناجينيحملون في قلوبهم تبعات هذه اليوم لزمن طويل.

كان لي بيت جميل في بغداد وحديقة مغروسة باندر الازهار والاشجار المثمرة وكان اجمل ما فيها اشجار النخيل الباسقات الوارفة الضلال والسخية بعطاءها للطير والبشر، اشجار النخيل سيداتي و سادتي هي رمز العطاء والوجود والشموخ والكرم منذ بدء الخليقة .. عندما كبر عمر تمنيت ان يكوّن اسرة لنرى انا وزوجتي اولاده يعيشون بيننا ويملؤون بيتنا صخبا وفرحا.. اخبرته بما تمنيت فرد علي "انك يا والدي لن تضحي بما غرست يداك ورعيت طيلة هذه السنين ولن تقطع واحدة من اشجار نخيلك العزيزة على قلبك لابني مكانها بيتا واكون قريبا منك" .. اه ياولدي، صحيح ان اشجاري عزيزة على نفسي ولن اضحي بها لمخلوق ولكنك الشجرة الاهم في حياتي لانك نخلة ديمومة وجودي على هذه الارض فكيف لي ان لا اضحي بها لاعزّ مخلوق على نفسي، سابني لك البيت لتتزوج وتسكن فيه وسيمنّ الله عليك بالبنين والبنات وستنمو نخلتي الخارجة من اعماق قلبي وتتكاثر لتملأ بوجودها واولادها حياتنا سعادة انا ووالدتك وتقرّ اعيننا بكم.. لم ادر يا ولدي انك كنت على موعد مع القدر وانك سوف لن تتزوج وبيتك الماثل امامي والذي اشرفت بنفسك على بنائه سوف لن تسكنه، واولادك لن اراهم.. فقد اختارتك يد المنون في لحظة غدر نفذتها زمرة خبيثة تجردت من الانسانية والقيم الاخلاقية والشرائع السماوية فقامت بتفجير صرح كرس اعماله لخدمة الامن والسلام لشعوب العالم وبقى بيتك ماثلا امامنا نمر به كل يوم عشرات المرات نذرف دموعا سخية سرا وعلانية على من رحل ولن يعود ودار لن يسكنها واحفاد لن نراهم.

حاولت ان لا اصدق رحيلك ولا شهادة وفاتك فكيف لي ان افهم يا نخلة العمر رحيلك دون ان تودعنا الى ان جيئ بنعشك ملفوفا بعلم الامم المتحدة بعد بحث وتحرّ عنك دام خمسة ايام مذهولين يعتصرنا الالم ويحدونا الامل في ان تكون مصابا راقدا في احدى المستشفيات ..

اعلم ياولدي انك وان غبت عنا بجسدك الا انك باق معنا بروحك الخالدة في اعماقنا ما دام دم الحياة يسري في عروقنا.. اليس هذا خلودا وعزا ان نرى اسمك وكل من رحلوا عنا في ذلك اليوم مدرجا على لوح الشرف في مقر الامم المتحدة في نيويورك وجنيف وامام مقر مفوضية حقوق الانسان ..صحيح انك لم تهبنا زهو عيشك بيننا وفرح وجودك زمنا اطول لكنك وهبتنا الفخر والعز بان غيابك عنا وانت تؤدي اشرف عمل يمكن للانسان ان يقدمه للبشرية كان غدرا وقسرا ، ونحن هنا اليوم نحضر في اهم محفل دولي يحتفي بذكرى رحيلك وزملائك.. نعم يا ولدي ستمر الايام بحزنها والامهاوسنترك هذه العالم المضطرب لنلتقيك في عالم اخر نقي امن، وسيبقى اسمك وزملاؤك خالدا شاهدا حيا على من فقدوا حياتهم واحلامهم وكسروا قلوب احبتهم وذويهم نتيجة الارهاب والافكار الحقودة المريضة لتقراه الاجيال عاما بعد عام .

لا زلنا ولغاية اليوم لا نعلم كيف تمت مثل هذه الجريمة بمثل هذا اليسر والسرعة، من سهل الامر ومن زود المعلومات ومن موّلها واين هي اوراق القضية التي هي من ابسط حقوقنا وما هي تفاصيل التحقيقات.

قد اكون عاتبا ايضا انا وبعض ذوي الضحايا من زملائك الراحلين على هذه المنظمة التي لم تقر اي حقوق لكم رغم انكم فقدتم حياتكم على ارضها ومقرها الا اننا نعتز بوجودنا هنا اليوم وبدعوة كريمة من المدير العام لمقر الامم المتحدة في جنيف لنشارك في احياء الذكرى الخامسة لرحيلك يا ولدي وكل من فقدوا حياتهم معك.. ونذكّر هذه المنظمة العريقة بان شعوب العالم لا تزال مؤمنة بدوركم وتنتظر الكثير منكم فلا تخذلوها .. 

رحم الله ولدي الوحيد عمر قحطان الاوفلي وصبرني ووالدته على الم فقده ووحشة فراقه رغم السنوات الطوال ومواساة الاحبة لنا ورحم كل من رحلوا معه في ذلك اليوم المشؤوم وكل من فقدوا حياتهم غدرا وهم يدافعون عن القضايا الانسانية واحلال السلام بين شعوب العالم من دون عنصرية ولا تمييز شاكرا لكم صبركم لسماعي داعيا الله ان لا يفجع ايا منكم بفقد احبابه واعزائه وان ينقذ العالم من ويلات الحروب وشرور الارهاب 

شكرا لكم مرة اخرى لصبركم بالاستماع لي والسلام عليكم

At this precise hour, 18 years ago, I was walking back home from a stroll around our house. Outside, the air was boiling. The hottest summer in the last 100 years, the TV was saying. Mattia-Sélim, our 26-day old baby, was slowly waking up in the pram.

Before sitting down to breastfeed him, I switched on our PC to have a quick look at the news. Next to the keyboard, a yellow post-it was indicating Jean-Selim’s new mobile number, which he had dictated to me, just two hours earlier calling from Baghdad. He was so excited that with this new phone, finally issued by the UN mission, we would be able to call more than once a day. ‘’’l will be home in 4 weeks and then we will go on our first family holiday! Start putting down a list of destinations”, he told me with his determined and witty voice.

I can still picture that ‘breaking news’ talking about a bomb explosion at the UN building in Baghdad appearing on top of the screen. Standing in front of the computer, I felt an electric shock going from my hand holding the mouse, to my brain.  My legs started to shiver like they belonged to someone else. With one arm, I grabbed our son out of the pram to my chest, to instinctively protect him from that horror, and with the other, I reached out to the chair as I could not control that shake in my legs.

In a matter of seconds, Jean-Sélim and 21 other colleagues and friends had crashed under a pile of rubble. That horrific deflagration, ignited by two tons and a half of TNT, mercilessly wiped off their lives, their aspirations and talents. Their families were amputated without appeal. Hundreds were injured, mutilated, traumatized. In that explosive smoke, the present and future of so many families was changed forever.

18 years have passed since that terrifying afternoon. 18 is more than a symbolic number. It is the time that it takes for a child to get to adulthood. It is the time of a generation that grew without a parent, a sibling, a spouse, a son or a daughter. And it is therefore so very significant that you have gathered with us today to remember and honour their names. On behalf of my family, I wish to thank the Director-General, the High Commissioner and all of those who, year after year, help us keep the memory of this UN tragedy alive.

Over the past years, my family story has crossed that of many others. We have all endured excruciating grief, trauma, loneliness and a sense of profound injustice. Life forced us to go on, to take new steps, to venture on new travels and new jobs, to heal our wounds and learn to laugh again. Every 19 August, however, the pain resurfaces as raw as on that Tuesday. 18 years that feel like yesterday.

By standing here, in front of this plaque and that remembering the terrorist attack against the UNHQ in Algiers in 2007, we are also in solidarity with the hundreds of families of UN personnel who died or were injured in line of duty, serving our UN flag with dedication and professionalism.

Marking the 19th of August, which has become UN World Humanitarian Day, also means to support and encourage the next generation of humanitarians. Despite the dangers and challenges increasingly faced on the ground, this is a great profession propelled by the noblest values of solidarity, human dignity and equality. Terrorists have not managed to deter young professionals from embarking on this fulfilling path. The profound belief in a more equitable and sustainable world is a motivation that continues to be passed from generation to generation.

It often happens to me to walk in front of these plaques, while a UN tour guide explains to a group of young students what this memorial is about. And I would stop in silence, suddenly feeling that shake in my legs again – but also a warmth inside as I imagine one of those young people being inspired by the story of Jean-Sélim and his colleagues to take on the humanitarian vocation.

On this day, I wish to exhort our Organization to further improve the way support is provided to surviving staff and victims’ families in need, in the immediate aftermath of an attack, but also in the longer term. Like many others, I have experienced the multiple effects, including trans-generational, of trauma. I met other widows and became friend with several of Jean-Sélim’s colleagues who survived that horrific blast and other attacks. We all shared stories of resilience and resistance, but also of relapses.

Support should be understood in a holistic and continuous manner, from attending to physical and psychological needs to sustaining a dignified job re-insertion as well as providing more comprehensive care for orphans. A dedicated one-stop shop should be created, as well as a proper and long-term functioning case management system. Victims should also be accompanied in their quest for truth and information about the attacks that changed their lives forever. Their resilience should be nurtured, and special needs better responded to. This is ever so needed in the context of the increasing number of human catastrophes we are called to operate in.

These 22 beautiful names were pure life. And they are and will always be in ours:

Nadia, Sergio, Fiona, Ihssan, Richard, Christopher, Reham, Martha, Jean-Sélim, Manuel, Emaad, Leen, Ranilo, Reza, Basim, Raed, Gillian, Khidir, Arthur, Saad, Alya, Omar.

The date 19th August 2003 is a date I will never forget, not because I was there that day, but because it led to my meeting and spending time with many of you who survived the blast, during your early recuperation in the military hospital in Jordan, and throughout the following weeks. You all hold a special place in my mind, and in my heart, and I so clearly remember the shock, trauma, sadness, and sense of abandonment you were experiencing at that time. I listened intently to your stories about what happened, where each of you were when the bomb exploded, how you weren’t even sure if you were still alive in those first moments, or if your colleagues were, and of the physical and psychological injuries you sustained.

It is testament to the resilience and determination of each and every one of you that since that terrible day, you have defied the bombers to go on to live productive lives, continuing with the important work you do for the UN or building careers elsewhere, caring for your families, and forging new lives, often on other continents. Making a new start, embracing life and all that was so nearly taken away from you, is the ultimate triumph over the evil that visited that day.

I did not know the 22 who died but join you all in honouring their memory, as I do every year. I did come to know some of you very well and while it was an intensely emotional experience to witness your pain and grief, the privilege of supporting you at that most difficult of times is something that I have treasured throughout the ensuing years. 

I welcome this opportunity to be part of your sharedmemories. Adnan, I don’t know if you recall making an art therapy image with me during those early days…I have kept it with me all these years. You called it “The 1st moment” and signed and dated the back – 07/09/03. It did indeed show the first moments in the immediate aftermath of the blast, as you talked about how that felt for you at the time. I attach it separately now for you to see again (if you would like to) and to add to the website to share with others (again, if you would like to). 

Please feel free to share my message.

With warmest regards,

Sue Sweeney

It takes such a long time to heal.. most of us stay as far as possible from the thoughts as it hurts each time… or we might remain in denial.. I can not even imagine the pain of those who lost their beloved ones.. I wish there would be a way to reach out to all, in a delicate non threatening healing and soothing way, in which we could express compassion, more gratitude. 

Maybe sometimes our trauma might have help us be more human, more humble, closer to the ones we were trying to help at the first place.. 

It is wonderful that you found ways to secure the website. I discover the zoom reunions are, at the same time, a strange way to keep some distance (from suffering or closer interaction that we may not feel at ease with) and yet also a great welcoming, warm -ish way to reach out to the ones we would never have even consider reaching out and sharing thoughts with before.. (yet, how to be sure no one would register the whole meeting).. But, maybe there would be a way to reach out all of us and try to have a way to keep out community help each other.. start to have a real talk.. with a real facilitator who could hear.. all our silences. 

Many thanks again Adnan. 

Feel free to share. My yahoo does not allow me to send an email to so many people apparently (: 

Isabelle Noel Swett

The 19th of August, 2003 started as just another ordinary day for the UN staff and Iraqi people in general. The rule of law was missing in the whole country since Baghdad was fallen back in April the same year. The commute to Canal Hotel was taken an hour instead of the usual twenty minutes before the war. As a result I used to arrive late to find the car park full and had to park my vehicle in a space located on the right side of the building, just under the office of the late SRSG, before giving my car keys to a Security Guard so that he brings it to the car park when a space is available. During these days, we used to observe two American tanks protecting the building, on the far left corner where the car park was and the other on the far right corner, just under the SRSG office, where I used to park my car. However, that morning was quite different as we all observed the missing of these tanks (due to its huge size obviously). Everyone started to talk about it since we were expecting an attack following the bombing of the Jordanian Embassy a week before, which was the first ever kind of an attack in Baghdad. As the day moved on, we forgot about and kept doing what we used to do in a regular working day in the office. By 4:30pm I was already shutting down my computer to get ready to leave. I stayed for more additional minutes in my office waiting for my relative to come downstairs as I used to drop her home. I was supposed to go straight after to the bakery to collect my father’s birthday cake before going to collect my fiancé and go back home to celebrate with the family. However, someone decided to change the whole plan by driving a concrete mixture truck full of 2.5 ton of TNT and bombed the building on its right side.... to be continued.

The nightmare

Around 4:30 PM on August 19,2003. I was at the UN warehouse located in Canal Hotel / Baghdad when an explosion slammed me back and showered me with broken glass. Dazed and confused, I got to my feet, opened the door, and walked outside. A dark clod of dust and falling debris hung in the air obstructed the daylight. I rushed back into the warehouse fearing I would be hurt by falling bricks, glass and other objects and debris. I still had no clue what had happened, but I assumed there was some sort of accident. About twenty minutes later, I ventured out and was shocked to see that half of the UN headquarters building had collapsed. By then US soldiers and emergency crews were on the scene securing the area and helping the injured.

Other bloodies and dust covered survivors walked past me in a daze. Colleagues covered in grime were unrecognizable to me. I made my way to the partially destroyed building to help in search for survivors. I passed by a woman lying on the ground with her throat slit, yet miraculously still alive. No one dared move her until medics arrived. Other survivors were huddled under their desks frozen in terror. I helped coax and lead out as many survivors as I could. The death and destruction still haunt my dreams to this day.

Date: 16 August, 2009

The memories of 19 August 2003, is not only fresh in my mind, but live with me everyday… A milestone for me and for many of my colleagues and for families of departed ones.
How can I forget 19 August? That day I didn’t want to go to office, yet, I was a newly joined SM, and I wanted to prove to my colleagues and everyone my loyalty, and that I’m a keen employee and deserve to join this establishment….
Yes, that day I didn’t want to go to office, I was so sad and gloomy, and how I can’t be? its my Mothers memorial day, exactly fifteen years passed, so fast…. it never occurred to my mind that I was not sad only for my Mum, but I was mourning for what will happen to me, my colleagues and to my beloved country in advance.
It happened so fast, the darkness, chaos, the cries of my colleagues and the eternal silence of others, the horrible noises of toppling walls, the test of the dust in my mouth, thirstiness, and above all the summer heat mixed with the color and the smell of blood everywhere… sharp pain, hospitals, operations and back home…. still not realizing what happened and why it happened… can anybody tell me?
Ten days passed when finally I managed to go back to work, many colleagues welcomed me, happy that despite of my injuries I was still alive… my emotions were troubled with the news of injured ones and the ones who became memories….
Now 2009, six years passed by, and we're still here, and they are still remembered and honored…and by the tremendous and skillful efforts of you all, they’ll be remembered eternally… I salute and than you, and may God Bless You all.
Now I work with UNAMID, great mission, hand in hand with others to shove agonies of death and war away; yet, I’m still eager to do more… Hence, I would like to inform you all, that it will be a privilege for me, if I am granted the chance of participating in more humanitarian tasks; to honor my colleagues, reduce the pain, and partake in drawing smile on faces, and world as whole.
May their souls rest in peace.

Kind Regards,

Novart Azad Babikian
Procurement Section
African Union - United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur (UNAMID), 

I was sitting on the chair and working in the same desk. Seeing the amount of the shatter glass burst into my desk, and I survived it, is a miracle itself. Indeed everyone has his own day to die.

May Allah bless us all and rest the soul in peace of the dearest deceased ones.