U.N. Family Members Evacuated from Pakistan

EVACUATION: People stand next to the crater left by a bomb blast next to the Marriott Hotel in Islamabad after a suicide truck bombing destroyed the hotel. In a recent development, U.N. family members have been evacuated from Pakistan after an escalation (Pedro Ugarte/AFP/Getty Images)

Family members of United Nations employees are being evacuated from Pakistan amid increasing security concerns. During the daily press briefing at U.N. headquarters in New York on Oct. 2, a spokesperson noted that regular security assessments take place at every duty station around the world.

According to comments by the spokesperson, published on the U.N. official website, dependent family members of U.N. personnel are being relocated. The dependents include children. The move is a result of recent attacks in Pakistan, including the recent devastating bombing of the Marriott Hotel in the capital city of Islamabad. Security levels have also been raised, but all essential staff is still on duty, and the work of the U.N. is proceeding as usual.

The evacuation covers Islamabad as well as other specific regions in the country. It does not include any parts of Afghanistan.

“The United Nations has raised the security level...which provides for the movement of dependent children,” Fikret Akcura, the U.N. resident coordinator for Pakistan, told the AFP in an interview last week.
The U.N. Secretary-General is expected to address issues related to the evacuation during his regular press conference on Oct. 7.