Kinshasa, 9 April, 2011 - A ceremony was held in the Congolese capital on Saturday, 9 April, to pay tribute to the victims of the UN plane crash in Kinshasa on 4 April 2011. The ceremony was attended by staff of the United Nations Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUSCO), other UN organizations, as well as members and friends of the bereaved families, and several Congolese authorities who came to pay their last respect to the victims.

High-level personalities present at the ceremony included: Mr. Dmitry Titov, United Nations Assistant Secretary-General for Rule of Law and Security Institutions; Mr Adolphe Lumanu, Deputy Prime Minister of the DRC, who came to convey the condolences of the Congolese Government. The Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General and Head of MONUSCO, Mr. Roger Meece, led the ceremony. He was accompanied by his two deputies, Ms Leila Zerrougui and Mr. Fidele Sarassoro.

Mr. Titov said both Mr. Alain Le Roy, Head of the Department of Peacekeeping Operations, and Ms. Susana Malcorra, Head of the Department of Field Support, would have liked to be by the side of MONUSCO staff in these difficult moments. "Their heart and thoughts are with you," Mr. Titov said in his remarks. "The Departments that they represent share your grief, and will strive to ease the pain that you all feel right now," he added.

Specifically, Mr. Titov told the audience that the United Nations Secretary-General gave firm instructions for safety and security measures to be immediately undertaken worldwide, at the level of all UN representations, as a way to ensure greater safety for the staff.
The UN flight 834 arriving from Kisangani, north-eastern DRC, with 33 passengers on board, including four crew members, crashed while landing at Kinshasa N'Djili International Airport. All but one of the passengers perished in the accident.

"Those who died were drivers, medical doctors, administrators, security and logistics officers, humanitarian workers, policemen, soldiers," MONUSCO Chief, Mr. Meece, noted in his remarks at the ceremony. "We know their smiles, their songs and dreams. We remember what they stood for and what they believed in, "the UN Special Representative added, with great emotion.