Observed annually by the United Nations, the International Day of Solidarity With Detained And Missing Staff Members is a day that’s celebrated every March 25th. This holiday is placed on the anniversary of the abduction of Alec Collett—a former journalist who was working for the UN Relief & Works Agency for Palestine Refugees when in 1985 he was kidnapped by armed gunman.

This is a day to recognize the dangers that many colleagues of the UN have to face as they go about their work on a daily basis. In 2020, twenty UN personnel were in detention and ten personnel have lost their lives due to attacks.

The History Of The International Day Of Solidarity With Detained And Missing Staff Members

This holiday was first created on the anniversary of the abduction of Alec Collect in 1985. His body was finally found in Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley in 2009. This day has been observed since then so that UN workers and the international community keep in mind the dangers that are faced by UN workers as they go about their jobs.

Some Amazing Facts About The UN

Since we’re talking about a day dedicated to the solidarity of staff members, we thought that we’d take a few moments to talk about the United Nations.

• There are 196 members states in the United Nations.
• Over the last 7 decades, the UN has been given 11 Nobel Peace Prizes.
• The term “United Nations” was coined by U.S President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1942.
• The UN has six official languages for its meetings and distributed documentation.

Observing International Day Of Solidarity With Detained And Missing Staff Members

It’s a day to show solidarity for those United Nations workers who perform difficult and dangerous jobs on a daily basis. People can also give a shout-out to UN workers using the hashtag #InternationalDayofSolidarityWithDetainedAndMissingStaffWorkers on their social media accounts.