Statement attributable to the Spokesman for the Secretary-General on the death of Sharon Capeling of UNV

The Secretary-General was deeply saddened by the death of Sharon Capeling-Alakija, the Executive Coordinator of the United Nations Volunteer Programme. Ms. Capeling-Alakija was a deeply committed and creative leader of UNV, which promotes volunteerism, sends some 5,000 UN Volunteers into the field every year and is often described as the “human face” of the UN's development efforts. In that post -- as well as in her previous positions as Director of Evaluation and Strategic Planning in UNDP and Director of the UN Development Fund for Women -- she understood the need for the United Nations to reach out as widely as possible and engage people from all walks of life in the Organization's work. Ms. Capeling-Alakija will be sorely missed by her many, many friends in the UN family, and by many thousands of UN Volunteers, past and present, around the world.