Document
File
To
Mr José Graziano da Silva
Director General
Food and Agriculture Organization
Geneva, March 11, 2019
Dear Mr da Silva,
It is with deep sadness that we received the information of the plane crash in Ethiopia yesterday and the further news that, of 19 UN staff who perished in the accident, two worked for the Food and Agriculture Organization. We express our heartfelt condolences, thoughts and prayers to the bereaved families and friends, and to the wider UN family.
Many of the passengers in the plane, along with the UN staff, were proceeding to the UN Environment Assembly, which began 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 was on his way to the UN Environment Assembly to present a “Roadmap for Congregations, Communities and Churches for an Economy of Life and Ecological Justice”.
We are one with you, in this period of pain and sadness, in remembering our departed colleagues who dedicated their lives to wider public service.
May the peace of God, which surpasses all human understanding, guard our hearts and our minds. 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