United Nations, Oct 25: The United Nations has unveiled at a brief solemn ceremony a memorial dedicated to UN staff killed in the line of duty and organized a special concert to pay homage to them. The centerpiece of the memorial is a wall of crystal glass with the words "Remember here those who gave their lives for peace" inscribed in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Spanish and Russia and includes 191 stones - one from each member state - and a fountain. Designed as a place of reflection, some of the stone slabs serve as the benches and lanterns light the memorial from below at night.

The memorial, funded by prize money from the 1988 Nobel peace prize awarded to the UN's peacekeeping forces, was designed by the architectural firm Arquitectonica International. The chief architect was Bernardo Fort Brescia.
Two UN security officers unveiled the memorial yesterday in the presence of Secretary-General Kofi Annan, who paid tributes to those who willingly take risk in the cause of peace. The gathering which included staff members and diplomats observed one minute's silence in the memory those killed.
Bureau Report