International Day of Solidarity with Detained and Missing Staff Members observed on March 25.

Why in news?

• The United Nations(UN)’s International Day of Solidarity with Detained and Missing Staff Members is annually observed across the globe on 25th March to recognise the dangers encountered by the UN staff members in their line of work.
• 25th March marks the anniversary of the abduction of Alec Collett, a former British journalist who was working for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), in 1985.
• His remains were found in Bekaa Valley in Lebanon in 2009.
• Purpose of the day: To mobilize action, demand justice and strengthen our resolve to protect UN staff and peacekeepers, as well as our colleagues in the non-governmental community and the press.
• In September 1993, the UN Security Council adopted the first resolution on Staff security.
• Subsequently, the negotiations took place in the 6th (Legal) Committee of the UN General Assembly(UNGA) on an international legal convention to protect UN personnel.
• Following the negotiations, the Convention on the Safety of United Nations and Associated Personnel was adopted by the UNGA on 9th December 1994.