Press Releases

I’ve been getting quite a lot of questions following a news report and I just wanted to correct the mistaken impression that UN staff were told to avoid using certain words to describe the situation in Ukraine.

It is simply not the case that there was some sort of global instructions to all UN staff not to use words like “war” or “invasion” to describe the situation. As proof, you will all have seen the Tweet that Rosemary DiCarlo issued yesterday which said the following: “Nearly two weeks on, it is painfully clear that those suffering the most after Russia's invasion of #Ukraine are civilians - killed, wounded, displaced. This war is senseless. We are ready to support all good-faith efforts at negotiation to end the bloodshed.”

Similarly, Martin Griffiths and the Secretary-General have used a wide range of words in their statements and remarks to the press to describe what has been going on and those were all very public for all to see.

At the same time, I do want to say there was an email that went out to global staff to remind staff that they are international civil servants and to uphold the responsibilities that position entails. Accordingly, staff were asked to frame any communications on Ukraine as well as any other political matters in a manner that is consistent with the position of the Organization and statements of the Secretary-General. This applies not only to the ongoing situation in Ukraine, but other situations around the world. But there were no instructions in that global message to staff not to use certain words and it’s the kind of message that we regularly send out to staff when there is a global event or a national event that has a lot of attention. UN staff, like journalists, are all very passionate, but we all work for an Organization and have to uphold the rules and regulations of the Organization in our role as international civil servants.

(MG/ΕCHR)