UN studying report submitted by staff security review panel

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has received the report of the independent panel tasked with assessing the safety and security of United Nations staff worldwide and said it will be “studied in detail before considering appropriate follow-up action,” his spokesperson said today.

The report was handed over to Mr. Ban yesterday by veteran diplomat Lakhdar Brahimi, Chairman of the Independent Panel on Safety and Security of UN Personnel and Premises Worldwide.

The seven-member Panel, which includes international experts from outside the UN system, was set up by the Secretary-General in February, in the wake of the December 2007 Algiers bombing which claimed the lives of 17 UN staff.

It was tasked with providing recommendations on strategic issues vital to the delivery and enhancement of the security of UN personnel and premises and the changing threats and risks faced by it.

“Careful internal deliberations are under way with a view to ensuring the transparency of the process and the efficiency and integrity of any follow-up measures, taking into account the due process rights of individuals,” UN spokesperson Marie Okabe told reporters.