United Nations Radio

The United Nations today commemorated the fifth anniversary of the bombing of its headquarters in Baghdad, Iraq, which killed twenty-two staff, including the top United Nations envoy in Iraq at the time, Sérgio Vieira de Mello.

At a wreath laying ceremony in New York, UN Secretary-General Ban ki-moon paid tribute to the staff members killed and injured in the attack.

The Secretary-General said their children have grown without a parent and their loved ones feel their absence everyday.

"We, too, mourn them all. They were heroes. They faced danger to help people in need. They did their job in its largest and most noble sense. We grieve at their tragic deaths, yet we take heart from their courage. Their legacy endures."

Some of the survivors of the Baghdad attack attended the ceremony in New York which included the premiere of "Songs without Borders" a new work of classical music composed by Steve Heitzeg in memory of United Nations staff who have died in the line of duty.

This is Dianne Penn for United Nations Radio.

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