Getting yourself prepared in such eventualities, is one of the essential things for staffs working in the field such as in the peace keeping mission.

All Staff are kindly reminded of maintaining an Emergency Bag. Below is a list of the items that should be contained in your Emergency Bag. Please ensure that all perishables are not out of date and first kits are correctly stocked. Please feel free to contact the security Operations and Planning unit if you have any further questions.

So, if you are about to undertake an assignment to humanitarian or peace keeping mission like with the UN-PKO (Peace Keeping Operation), be sure the notes describe below is well-noted.

Emergency Personal Bundle
All international staff members should maintain a small emergency bundle containing personal items, food and water. The bundle should be in a sturdy backpack or similar bag. It should weigh no more than 15 kilograms. The bundle should be regularly refurbished and kept in a very convenient place ready to be grabbed in an emergency. The bundle should only be used for emergencies and should contain the following as a minimum:

• Non-perishable foods, including canned beef/fish/vegetables, biscuits, etc
• UN Laisser Passez (LP), National Passport and UN Identification.
• A battery operated torch with spare light bulb and batteries.
• Some cash in US dollars (approx 200-400 USD) and some local currency.
• Two litres of bottled water (six to ten extra litres should always be available to bring to the Assembly Point if required).
• One-person mosquito net.
• Route map of the mission area.
• Sharp knife (Swiss Army knife, Leatherman tool or similar is very good).
• A pen.
• Personal hygiene bag (tooth brush, soap, small towel, razor, etc).
• Personal medications.
• A small, personal first aid kit containing painkillers (e.g. Aspirin), sterile bandages, antiseptic cream and mosquito repellent.

The photo below was taken in Baghdad, during my assignment there, the building at the back was the Al-Canal Hotel where many UN Agencies and UN Missions were to be based, and this same building was then blasted into pieces on the attack that made the SRSG – Sergio de Mello and other colleagues died.

I know, that it is still fresh to my mind during my initial mission assignment under UNMOVIC and having been stationed in Baghdad back in early 2003, most of us has big backpack carried around everywhere we go. The way we informally call it : “Protocol 15K”, meaning should anything happen that would require mission’s suspension and all personnel must be evacuated outside of the country, all belongings that staffs are in possession needs to be left-out.. so good bye to all those pots and pans, the sofas and stereo sets that were just been recently bought.. :-)

These pictures were taken at the time of evacuation, it’s the morning that had attracted the world media, seeing us, the UN Weapons Inspectors and support team leaving and shortly after, the war in Iraq started.

It was the time when 18 March 2003, the advise from the UN Secretary General, Koffi A. Annan [at that time] instructed a pull-out of staff out of Iraq, and I knew that this would have happened, luckily – nothing left out as I have been travelling light since the day one I had landed. The time of evacuation took swiftly 2 hours, and approximately 200 personnel of UNMOVIC staffs were safely evacuated to Larnaca, Cyprus and the first tomahawk cruise missile then landed in Baghdad on 20 March 2003.

Certainly by sharing this, I would not want anything to happen here..nor anywhere else, but just in case.. :-) you know and we all know what to pack
on our back.

For friends in Sudan, Ivory Coast and in Nepal.. may this greets you in good health.. and honey, I’ll be calling you tomorrow at 9AM – Miss you much!