Speaking in the Jardin du Souvenir at our Geneva headquarters, our Vice President, Gilles Carbonnier, paid tribute to our colleagues who have been killed or injured in security incidents over the past year.
Along with some of the families who lost loved ones, former colleagues and HQ staff, the Vice President was joined by our Director General, Pierre Krähenbühl, and our Director of Operations, Yasmine Praz Dessimoz. We were joined by Christopher Rassi, the IFRC's Chief of Staff and Under Secretary General.
Gilles Carbonnier said: "This day is a time to mourn, but also to honour and celebrate the lives of our colleagues who dedicated themselves to the ICRC's humanitarian mission. Their commitment will never be forgotten.
Our Vice President, Gilles Carbonnier, spoke of this being a moment in which we can share our feelings and pain, not least following the difficulties for the organization last year. Before looking at some of the key events that marked last year, Gilles said: “I wish to pay tribute to those of you who have suffered physically and mentally in the course of your humanitarian work, and in particular to our beloved colleagues whom we have lost over the past 12 months.”
Looking to the longer-term nature of remembrance, Robert noted that this year marks the tenth anniversary of security incidents in which we lost Siradjou Mamadou in the Central African Republic, Michael Greub in Libya and Laurent Du Pasquier in Ukraine.
This ongoing act of remembrance is supported by the Memorial Project, began in 2019, to create both a new physical space at our Geneva HQ, and an online resource at which to read more about and share memories of colleagues.
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No one can replace those we have lost. They live on in our memories.
Claire Hoang Sperandio
Director of Human Resources ad interim.
Marking the day, an online Remembrance Day event was held for all colleagues worldwide. It featured addresses by Deputy Director-General Katrin Wiegmann and Director of Human Resources ad interim Claire Hoang Sperandio.
Colleagues present at headquarters were able to join the live event, with speeches and music in the Jardin du Souvenir, where they paid tribute to our lost colleagues. Our colleagues from around the world, marked Remembrance Day either by connecting to the virtual ceremony or by organizing their own events.
“Every day, each of you contributes to our mission to serve people affected by armed conflict and violence. Alleviating their suffering and protecting their dignity lies at the heart of our work.
All our colleagues whom we remember today fulfilled that mission. They walked among us once, and they walk beside us now. We carry them with us. Always,” these words, from Deputy Director-General Katrin Wiegmann, stay with us as we continue to honor the memories of those, we’ve lost this year and in years past.
This was the first time; we came together as an institution in March to pay tribute to colleagues we’ve lost. This was to detach our Remembrance Day to any one event and remember our colleagues with a “renewed sense of equity and unity”.
To mark the day, a special online Remembrance Day event was held for all colleagues worldwide. It featured addresses by Vice-President Gilles Carbonnier, honorary Assembly member François Bugnion, Director-General Robert Mardini, and Director of Human Resources Gherardo Pontrandolfi.
The 2021 Remembrance Day carries a special meaning for our organization, as it marks the 25th anniversary of the tragedies of Mugina (Burundi) and Novye Atagi (Russia), in which three and six of our colleagues were killed respectively. This year’s ceremony therefore had a special focus on honouring the memory of these colleagues. As per usual practice, we also honoured and paid tribute to the colleagues we have lost throughout the year, notably following tragic security incidents in Yemen and Cameroon.