Solidarity with Gaza

We mobilize UN colleagues to speak up for humanity.

About United Staff for Gaza

United Staff for Gaza (formerly UN Staff for Gaza), is an informal association of current and former members of United Nations personnel, acting in our private capacities. We believe that the situation in Gaza constitutes an assault on our common humanity, threatens the foundational principles of the UN, and endangers the legacy of the Charter.

Born from an open letter circulated in July 2025, this initiative provides a channel for colleagues through which to exchange information and build common resolve, express solidarity with our colleagues on the ground and pay tribute to the hundreds among us who have been killed, help amplify calls by the Secretary-General and wider UN leadership, and promote an organizational culture of courage whereby colleagues feel encouraged and empowered to uphold human rights and speak up in defence of the Charter. See our Terms of Reference.

Our Objectives

Provide a channel for colleagues to be kept updated about information pertaining to the UN and the situation in Gaza. We provide colleagues with texts of statements by the Secretary-General and other high-level officials, organize screenings of short films and documentaries by UN agencies, host webinars with high-level officials, and share other related information. In this way, we build a common situational picture and shared resolve within the international civil service.
Express solidarity with our colleagues in the Gaza Strip, who work in unspeakable conditions, and pay tribute to the hundreds among us who have been killed in Gaza, thereby promoting unity and solidarity across the international civil service.
Amplify calls by the Secretary-General and wider UN leadership, such as calls for unobstructed humanitarian access and an immediate ceasefire. This enables and empowers every colleague, no matter where they work and what they do, to contribute.
Help promote a positive organizational culture in which colleagues feel safe and empowered to speak up and defend the UN's values

Our Structure

United Staff for Gaza is supported by an Honorary Chair, Mr. Ban Ki-moon, former United Nations Secretary-General, and by a Chair, Mr. Andrew Gilmour, former Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights. The initiative is further guided and supported by Senior Advisers, which currently include Mr. Martin Kobler, former Special Representative of the Secretary-General in Iraq, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Libya; Ms. Laura Londen, former Deputy Executive Director for Management of UNFPA; Ms. Susana Malcorra, former Foreign Minister of Argentina and Chef de Cabinet under Secretary-General Ban; Mr. Jamie McGoldrick, former Deputy Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, Resident Coordinator and Humanitarian Coordinator for the Occupied Palestinian Territory; and Mr. Farid Zarif, former Special Representative of the Secretary-General in Kosovo and Liberia and Deputy Foreign Minister of Afghanistan. The executive leadership of the initiative consists of the Core Group, a small number of current and former members of Staff and personnel, which is further supported by the Operations Team, a larger constellation of colleagues who assist with events and activities, and by Units that lead on specific workstreams.