UN Secretary-General António Guterres has called for the immediate release of 118 UN staff currently detained in various countries. His statement, issued on Thursday to mark the International Day of Solidarity with Detained and Missing Staff Members, highlights the rising dangers faced by UN personnel worldwide.
According to Guterres, attacks on UN staff increased significantly in 2025, with 179 personnel arrested or detained up from 52 in March 2025. Yemen remains the most affected, where 73 UN staff are held by de facto Houthi authorities, including eight members of the UN Human Rights Office.
“No colleague is forgotten,” Guterres said, urging member states to uphold international law and ensure safe, unhindered humanitarian operations. “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,” he added.
UN operations often place staff in the world’s most dangerous and unstable locations, including Gaza, Afghanistan, Sudan, Yemen, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Annalena Baerbock, President of the UN General Assembly, emphasized that detaining UN personnel violates fundamental human rights and international law, and undermines critical humanitarian efforts. “UN staff should never be a target. They risk their lives daily to support communities in dire need,” she said.
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, underscored the ongoing suffering of staff detained in Yemen, with some held for up to five years. He called on the de facto authorities to release all 73 UN personnel immediately and unconditionally. “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 stated, while praising thousands of UN staff working in conflict zones to assist vulnerable communities.
The International Day of Solidarity with Detained and Missing Staff Members commemorates the abduction of Alec Collett, a former journalist with the UN Palestine refugee agency, UNRWA, who was kidnapped in 1985 and whose body was recovered in Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley in 2009. The day aims to mobilize action, demand justice, and reinforce protections for UN staff, peacekeepers, NGO workers, and journalists operating in conflict zones.
