19 August: twenty years of the death of Sérgio Vieira de Mello

Tomorrow, on 19 August, marks twenty years since the death of Sergio Vieira de Mello, who, along with 21 United Nations personnel and collaborating partners, was killed in a terrorist attack on the UN headquarters in Baghdad, Iraq.

On the occasion, Vieira de Mello was on a leave of absence from his post as United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to serve in Iraq as Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General, in response to a request by then UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan.

In 2008, the UN General Assembly adopted Resolution A/63/129 designating 19 August as World Humanitarian Day in honor of those who lost their lives while promoting the humanitarian cause.

Brazilian Sérgio Vieira de Mello joined the United Nations in 1969 as an employee of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and served in humanitarian and peacekeeping operations in a number of countries. In Cambodia, he coordinated the repatriation of 360,000 refugees. Between 1999 and 2002, Sérgio headed the UN mission that monitored the transition of Timor-Leste to Independence.

He dedicated his life to supporting the reconstruction of communities affected by wars and extreme violence. He was always impartial and independent when peacefully negotiating  the solution of conflicts and defending human rights.