UN Secretary-General António Guterres led a memorial Monday honoring 136 UN personnel killed in the line of duty in 2025.
"These tragedies should shock the conscience of the entire world," Guterres said. "UN personnel must never be targeted."
More than half of the fallen-80 staff members-served with UNRWA in Gaza. Guterres noted that more UN colleagues died in the enclave than in any other single conflict in the organization's history. Some were killed alongside their families or while carrying out duties in shelters and offices.
The group included 97 civilians and 39 uniformed peacekeepers from 32 countries. They served in missions including UNIFIL in Lebanon, where a peacekeeper was killed last week, as well as in the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and South Sudan.