Guterres calls for immediate release of detained 118 UN staff

n n

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres

n

UN Secretary-General António Guterres has called for the immediate release of the 118 UN staff currently detained worldwide.

n

Guterres, in a statement marking the International Day of Solidarity with Detained and Missing Staff Members, said attacks against the UN increased with 179 personnel arrested or detained in 2025 alone.

n

The figure marks a significant increase from the 52 UN staff in detention in March 2025.

n

In Yemen alone, 73 UN staff remain detained by the de facto Houthi authorities, including eight from the UN’s human rights office.

n

The UN chief said “no colleague is forgotten” and urged Member States to uphold international law to ensure safe and unimpeded humanitarian work.

n

“Today and every day, let’s stand with those who serve humanity, and ensure they are protected and supported as they carry out their essential work,” Guterres said.

n

The UN has a presence on the ground in some of the world’s most dangerous and unstable locations including Gaza, Afghanistan, Sudan, Yemen, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

n

President of the General-Assembly, Annalena Baerbock said: “Any detention not only violates fundamental human rights, international law and immunities.

n

“It also undermines vital humanitarian efforts, delaying lifesaving assistance to millions of people.

n

“UN staff should never be a target. They are giving their lives, every day, to support communities in dire need and for the principles of the United Nations.”

n

In Yemen, UN staff continue to face arbitrary arrests whilst “some have been deprived of their liberty for five years now,” the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, said.

n

“Every day, the injustice of their detention is compounded. Their suffering, and that of their families, is intolerable,” he added.

n

The UN staff are being held in areas of the country under the control of the de facto Houthi authorities.

n

The Human Rights chief called on the de facto authorities in Yemen to release immediately and unconditionally the 73 UN staff.

n

“Under no circumstances can UN personnel be detained, much less charged with crimes, for undertaking their vital work on behalf of the Yemeni people,” Türk said.

n

Türk paid tribute to the thousands of UN staff who work in the most difficult situations, in crises and conflicts, to serve communities in need of support.

n

The International Day of Solidarity with Detained and Missing Staff Members marks the anniversary of the abduction of Alec Collett.

n

Collett, a former journalist working for the UN Palestine refugee agency, UNRWA, was abducted by a gunman in 1985 and his body was found in Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley in 2009.

n

The aim of the international day is to mobilise action, demand justice and strengthen the resolve to protect UN staff and peacekeepers.

n

The day is also aimed to protect workers in the non-governmental community and the press.

n

(NAN)

n n