UN mission receives Elie Wiesel Ethics Award for role
in holding East Timor popular vote
12 October -- The United Nations mission, which facilitated last year's popular consultation on East Timor's independence, received the Elie Wiesel Ethics Award today at a ceremony at UN Headquarters in New York.
Accepting the Award on behalf of the Secretary-General, UN Deputy Secretary-General Louise Fréchette commended the staff of the Mission, which was known by its acronym UNAMET. She said that perhaps no other Mission's staff had "done more in such a short period to restore stability to a territory, and give its people hope for a better future." In particular, she paid tribute to the local UNAMET staff who had lost their lives during the operation. "This Elie Wiesel Ethics Award belongs to them," she said.
Ms. Fréchette also recalled the tragic murder last month of three UN humanitarian staff in West Timor. "These staff members had dedicated themselves to assisting some of the most vulnerable of the East Timorese population," she said, noting that "it may have been the very success of their mission which doomed them in the eyes of those who see peace as an enemy, and violence as the answer."
The Deputy Secretary-General stressed that the UN and its staff in East Timor would not be deterred from their mission. "The people of East Timor have suffered for too long, and the international community is too dedicated to helping them achieve a better future, to allow the militias and their supporters to win," she said.
The Award ceremony was part of a daylong programme commemorating the first anniversary of the popular consultation. The commemoration began on 30 August, the day of the vote, when Secretary-General Kofi Annan sent a congratulatory message to the people of East Timor and the UN Department of Public Information issued a special booklet on the popular consultation. Today's activities included a panel discussion and the release of a collection of photographs and anecdotes entitled Timor Lorosa'e: One Momentous Year.
