Participants stand in silence during the ceremony commemorating the 101 UN personnel that perished in Haiti's Jan. 12 earthquake at the UN headquarters in New York, the United States, March 9, 2010. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, the president of the 64th session of the United Nations General Assembly (GA) Ali Treki, family members of the victims and some other UN high officials attended the ceremony on Tuesday. [Xinhua]

Family members of the sacrificed Chinese peackeeping police attend the ceremony commemorating the 101 UN personnel that perished in Haiti's Jan. 12 earthquake at the UN headquarters in New York, the United States, March 9, 2010. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, the president of the 64th session of the United Nations General Assembly (GA) Ali Treki, family members of the victims and some other UN high officials attended the ceremony on Tuesday. [Xinhua]

United Nations staff and family members of the 101 personnel who perished in the Jan. 12 Haiti earthquake gathered at the UN Headquarters in New York on Tuesday for a ceremony to honor the victims and to commemorate the single greatest loss the world body has suffered in its 60-year history.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and Ali Treki, the president of the 64th session of the UN General Assembly, were among those addressing the gathering, which was attended by senior officials, representatives of member states, and colleagues from the UN Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH).

"It is a sad occasion to bring us together," said Ban, who took off his glasses to wipe his tears during his speech. "For those who could not be here, please know that our hearts are with you."

Names of the 101 personnel were read out one by one while their photos were shown on the big screen at the ceremony.

Haitian UN ambassador Leo Merores also took the floor at the ceremony, held in the Trusteeship Council Chamber here at the UN Headquarters in New York, to pay tribute to the 101 UN personnel, including civilians, military and police who perished in the Haitian earthquake.

Also present at the memorial ceremony was Li Baodong, the permanent Chinese representative to the United Nations, and families of the four Chinese UN peacekeepers who lost their lives in the deadly Haiti earthquake.

The 7.3-magnitude quake which struck the small island country on Jan. 12, affecting one third of Haiti's 9-million strong population, brought down the Christopher Hotel, which houses the UN headquarters in the capital, Port-au-Prince, and other buildings hosting the world body's offices.

Among those that perished were the secretary-general's special representative to Haiti, Hedi Annabi, as well as his Deputy Luiz Carlos da Costa and Acting Police Commissioner Doug Coates.

(Xinhua News Agency March 10, 2010)