Naqoura, 12 January 2011 -- The UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) today remembered fallen comrades who died in the devastating earthquake in Haiti last year, honouring them in a ceremony at UNIFIL Headquarters in Naqoura.

UNIFIL peacekeepers, civilian and military, observed a minute of silence to mark the first anniversary of the quake, which killed more than 200,000 people and left more than two million homeless. The quake destroyed the headquarters of the UN peacekeeping mission in Haiti, MINUSTAH, and a total of 102 UN personnel perished, constituting the highest loss of life from a single event in United Nations history.

UNIFIL Force Commander Major-General Alberto Asarta Cuevas and Director of Mission Support Girish Sinha laid wreaths at the UNIFIL cenotaph to remember the fellow peacekeepers. A military band played the UN and Lebanese anthems at the ceremony.

The ceremony at UNIFIL Headquarters in Naqoura is part of commemorations at UN offices across the world to celebrate their lives and honour friends and colleagues who perished in the quake. A formal commemoration is being held at the MINUSTAH headquarters in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. In New York, the UN Secretary-General will conduct a wreath-laying ceremony.

UNIFIL staff members have played their part in assisting in the quake's aftermath. In addition to private contributions to the UN Emergency Response Fund for Haiti, UNIFIL staff also volunteered for duty in Haiti to help out in the aftermath of the devastating quake.

About 12,000 military personnel along with about 1,000 civilians are serving with UNIFIL. They are among more than 123,000 peacekeepers serving in 16 operations on four continents.

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For further information, please contact the UNIFIL Public Information Office:
Deputy Spokesperson Andrea Tenenti: +961 1 827 068; +961 70910064 (cell); email: tenenti@un.org
Fax: +961 1 827 016

View the UNIFIL website: http://unifil.unmissions.org