An assembly of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) opened in Nairobi Monday has taken down flags while delegates who arrived with the UN flag flying at half-mast.
Among the 157 people killed in the Ethiopian Airline en route Nairobi on Sunday, 22 were UN staff many heading for the annual event.
As they wondered aloud who among their colleagues may have been on board the ill-fated Boeing, delegates hugged and comforted one another, and observed a minute’s silence at the meeting’s start.
According to Maimunah Sharif, head of UN Habitat, at least 22 UN employees were among those who perished when the Nairobi-bound Ethiopian Airlines jet crashed early Sunday just six minutes after take-off from Addis Ababa.
“I stand before you on the first day of the UN Environment Assembly, which has officially commenced today in the wake of this tragedy,” she told delegates.
“We will not forget this tragedy, nor those who perished. Let us reflect that our colleagues were willing to travel and to work far from their homes and loved ones to make the world a better place to live.”
Nairobi hosts the global headquarters of UNEP, and is the regional seat for many UN agencies.
The annual UNEP assembly gathers heads of state, ministers, business leaders and civil society representatives to work on ways to slash pollution and build a greener global economy.