Document
To
Mr David Beasley
Executive Director
World Food Programme
Geneva, March 11, 2019
Dear David,
Greetings to you from the World Council of Churches during this difficult time.
It is with deep sadness that we received news of the plane crash in Ethiopia yesterday, and the news that, of the 19 UN staff who perished in the accident, seven belonged to the World Food Programme (WFP). We express our heartfelt condolences, thoughts and prayers to the bereaved families and friends and to the wider WFP family.
Many of the passengers in the plane, along with the UN staff, were proceeding to the UN Environment Assembly set to begin today in Nairobi. One of our dear colleagues, Rev. Norman Tendis from Austria, who worked as a consultant for the Economy of Life programme of the World Council of Churches, also perished in the crash. He too was on his way to the UN Environment Assembly to present the “Roadmap for Congregations, Communities and Churches for an Economy of Life and Ecological Justice”.
We are with you, in this period of pain and grief, to remember our departed colleagues who had dedicated their lives to making this planet more sustainable.
May the peace of God, which surpasses all human understanding, guard our hearts and our minds in God. May we continue, with renewed commitment, our common journey to promote abundant, just, healthy, and purpose-driven lives for all, living in harmony with each other and the environment.
Sincerely yours,
Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit
General Secretary
World Council of Churches