 | Jean-Philippe Laberge, Civil/Military Coordination Officer |
Jean-Philippe Laberge, 1974 - 2010
Mr. Jean-Philippe Laberge, a national of Canada, had been working as a Civil/Military Coordination Officer with the UN Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) since 2005 when he was killed in the earthquake that struck Haiti on 12 January 2010. He was 36 years old.
He held a Bachelor of Science degree in International Relations and Political Analysis from Université du Québec in Montréal and later received a Master’s degree in European Politics and Policy from the London School of Economics.
Since early 2000, Jean-Philippe, always eager to transmit his knowledge and share his working experience, regularly gave briefings to students at the prestigious Institut d'Études Politiques de Paris. He was also sought after to prepare various case studies for the school.
After his first job as a parliamentary assistant at the Canadian Parliament, he worked for the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) in Bosnia as a Human Rights Officer and Project Manager (1999-2000), and from there he moved to Kosovo to work for the United Nations Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) as a Minority Affairs and a Return Officer.
In Kosovo, Jean-Philippe was a “tireless advocate for the most downtrodden of the territory's ethnic minorities, its large Roma population, many of whom fled to neighboring states during the NATO bombing campaign. His passionate enthusiasm for their cause and the links of personal trust he built with Roma representatives were critical in overcoming suspicions of the UN, encouraging them to return to their homes in Kosovo and rebuild their lives,” said his former supervisor there.
Jean-Philippe worked in Kosovo for over three years during the reconstruction phase after the war. It was there that he met his future wife, Victoria, who was also working with UNMIK.
After Kosovo, he took up a post in the Middle East with the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) as an Operation Support Officer in the Gaza Strip. Victoria followed him there, later taking up a position with the World Food Programme (WFP) in Jerusalem.
Jean-Philippe’s “kindness and generosity were unique and made him a wonderful human being and friend,” said his colleagues from UNWRA in a letter signed, among others, by the agency’s Commissioner-General, Karen Abu-Zayd. He was a “true leader, taking the right decisions particularly in difficult situations – as was often the case in Gaza.”
“I can not forget Jean-Philippe’s sense of humor even in very difficult and dangerous situations, especially in the village of Beit Hanoun where we had to facilitate UNRWA’s medical staff access,” remembered another colleague who also described how Jean-Philippe put in long hours during tough negotiations.
Jean-Philippe left UNRWA to follow Victoria to Haiti. “They had a tacit agreement to follow each other by turn. They traveled a lot together, always had new ideas and plans, and were extremely respectful of one another. To their friends, they were the most beautiful, lovely couple. Everybody admired them as friends, humanitarian professionals, a couple, and, of course, parents,” said a close friend.
A memorial service is scheduled to take place in Montreal on 10 February 2010. Additional details are available in the eRoom.
Jean-Philippe is survived by his wife Victoria, their two children, Emilie, three years old, and Maxime Antoine, one year old, his mother Marjolaine Lord and his father Jocelyn Laberge.
UPDATE -- 4 February
Sadly, the names of colleagues -- Canadiuns -- who perished in the Haiti earthquake continue to be reported to headquarters. As a show of support, I wanted to leave this post up for another week and, with great sorrow, add the following:
 | Sgt. Mark Gallagher, United Nations policy, UN Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) |
Sgt. Mark Gallagher, a national of Canada, was a member of the United Nations Police serving with the UN Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) when the earthquake struck Haiti on 12 January 2010.
A veteran police officer who also was an avid boating enthusiast, Mark garnered 25 years of professional experience in Canada. Before starting his nine-month peacekeeping mission in Haiti, he had most recently served as Media Relations Officer in the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) where he had been working since 1998. Prior to that, he worked for the Moncton Police Service in New Brunswick for 14 years.
In 2002, he was awarded the Queen’s Golden Jubilee Commemorative Medal and the Police Exemplary Service Medal for over 20 years of police service.
Deployed to Haiti in July 2009, Mark worked as Officer in the Haitian National Police (HNP) Development Pillar and was responsible for coordinating HNP needs in MINUSTAH.
Mark was one of 100 Canadian police officers who have served with MINUSTAH.
“This is the first time that a serving Canadian police officer has been killed on active duty in an international peacekeeping operation,” said Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper in an official statement.
“He was a fine officer who always put the welfare of others before himself,” said Nova Scotia Premier Darrell Dexter, adding, “It was this selflessness that led him to volunteer in Haiti.”
Described as a “gentle, kind spirit” by those who knew him, Mark went to Haiti to help the less fortunate. He told his colleagues that “the smallest gestures can make all the difference for those living in such extreme poverty.”
Given the day-to-day realities of life in Haiti, Mark had a hard time adjusting to his comfortable lifestyle in Canada during his recent Christmas trip back home, according to those close to him.
Attendees at his funeral were told that “Mark discharged his responsibility with dignity, with respect and with a great deal of compassion.”
Thanks to his honorable service, the Premier of New Brunswick plans to nominate Sgt. Gallagher for the Order of New Brunswick, the province’s highest honour given to individuals who have “demonstrated excellence and achievement and who have made outstanding contributions to the social, cultural or economic well-being of New Brunswick and its residents.”
Mark is survived by his wife Lisa, his son Shane and his daughter Heather.
*****************
With the dust mostly settled in Haiti, the aftermath and devastation can now be truly understood. The situation is, in a word, tragic.
Let me share the names of those Canadians who were an integral part of the United Nations family serving in Haiti, and who paid the ultimate price in the service of humanity. They are:
 | Renée Carrier, Personal Assistant to the Special Representative |
 | Doug Coates, Acting Commissioner, United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) |
 | James Coates, Administrative Assistant |
 | Alexandra Duguay, Public Information Assistant |
 | Guillaume Siemienski, Political Affairs Officer |
Sadly, the ranks of those killed may yet swell; there are staff who remain unaccounted for. The United Nations has a memorial webpage and has encouraged colleagues and friends to eulogize all those who perished. So far, there are stories available for two of the five CandiUNs. I post their stories here, for your consideration and will update them as they become available:
Renée Carrier, 1955 - 2010 [added 25 January]
Ms. Renée Carrier, a Canadian national, had been serving as the Personal Assistant to Special Representative Hédi Annabi at the UN Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) since 2007 when she died in the Haiti earthquake of 12 January.Doug Coates, 1957 – 2010
Renée began her UN career as a Secretary in the French typing pool in 1988 and soon after was assigned as an Editorial Clerk in the French Unit of what is now the Department for General Assembly and Conference Management (DGACM). As her friends and colleagues all attest, her “legendary professionalism” led her to a first peacekeeping post in 1991 when she began working for the Force Commander of the UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO).
Though she returned to UN Headquarters in between assignments, she enjoyed life in the field. She served twice in Haiti and once in the UN Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea (UNMEE) during her 22 years of service.
For Renée peacekeeping was more than an assignment, as she shared with one colleague when asked why she never married: “I am already married to the United Nations and my spouse, the UN, always invites me to join him whenever he is invited to serve.”
“She was the dream employee every supervisor wants.” As one colleague put it, “I always had the impression that her bosses felt they had won the lottery when Renée decided to apply for a position in their team. And in fact, they did.”
What separated Renée from everyone else was her work ethic. “She stood out for her poise, utmost professionalism and the effortless way in which she resolved even the most challenging difficulties at short notice,” said Under-Secretary-General for Management Angela Kane who worked with her in Asmara, Eritrea. “She never said ‘no’ or ‘that can't be done.’ Instead, she listened carefully, went back to her desk, only to return soon thereafter with a solution.”
Ambassador Legwaila Joseph Legwaila of Botswana, former UNMEE head with whom she worked as a Personal Assistant, described her as “peerlessly efficient and dedicated, a valuable friend and colleague and an indispensable partner.”
“She was organized and super efficient perhaps from her background as a school administrator in Quebec before joining the UN.”
A colleague with whom she worked closely in Peacekeeping Operations commented: “I don’t think I ever saw her make a mistake in the years we shared offices.”
This petite dynamo of a woman, who worked closely with Force Commanders and Special Representatives of the Secretary-General was also a loyal friend and helpful colleague to everyone with whom she worked, regardless of rank or level.
But it was her ability to engender trust and confidence that endeared her to so many.
More than her dedication to duty and her consummate professionalism, what her friends will remember most are the special times they shared with her and her many acts of kindness. As one colleague noted, she attached great importance to doing the right thing and was uncompromising about it.
One colleague recalls “my own children loved her dearly, and she was often a part of our family celebrations.”
Others talked of Renée’s laughter and her love of life: “I remember her goofy sense of humour and her sensitivity about her braces and how she was the world’s worst karaoke singer and would only do it if we gave her a bunch of white wine first.”
She also took pride in being fit and ran long distance both in the New York City, when at home, and wherever she was in the field.
Haiti, which she loved, was to have been Renée’s last assignment as she was making plans to retire in her beloved Quebec.
“She had recently bought an apartment and was getting ready to go home and settle down. Her friends were in line to spend more time with her and enjoy her company,” shared a close friend in a tribute to her.
But as another friend who exchanged emails with her some twenty minutes before the earthquake reminds us, Renée will always live on in our memories for her selfless “love for Haiti and the passion for the job she was doing there” to help the people of that country.
General Robert Gordon with whom she served in Eritrea said: “Her star still shines.”
Renée is survived by her brother Marc and her sisters Andrée and Danielle.
Doug Coates of Canada was serving as acting commissioner at the UN Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) at the time of his death in the 12 January 2010 earthquake.James Coates, 1972 - 2010 [added 26 January]
A Royal Canadian Mounted Police superintendent, he made frequent UN peacekeeping missions to Haiti over a 17 year period.
Former colleagues noted that Doug’s passion, energy, focus and professionalism were instantly recognizable.
His son stated that he was proud of his work mentoring police officers while at the UN Mission in Haiti. “He has touched the lives of countless Haitians,” he said.
Secretary-General BAN Ki-moon called him a UN hero and said he was “a great police officer who believed to his core in the importance of rule of law and justice.”
One of Doug’s defining achievements with the UN was to open five police stations in the Grand Anse region of Haiti, re-establishing police services for the estimated 800,000 citizens of that area.
In 1993, Doug undertook his first of numerous missions to Haiti, where he helped train local law enforcement officers. After several months, he was pressured to leave due to civil unrest in the region but returned in 1995 to continue his work, receiving a medal for his peacekeeping efforts on this subsequent trip.
As a decorated officer, Doug saw his peacekeeping experience as more than a job. According to colleagues, he would close all meetings and correspondence by saying, “Working together in the service of peace” – his personal motto.
This devotion was evident throughout his extensive law-enforcement and peacekeeping career that began in 1978, when he joined the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. He specialized in mountain search and rescue among other things.
After showing his strengths as an investigator in Alberta, Canada, his interests led him to Ottawa where he became part of an elite emergency response team.
In 1996, he assumed responsibility for the management of Canadian police deployments, his competency eventually bringing him to head the Proceeds of Crime Unit in Quebec which focused on money laundering. He also took secondments at Pearson Peacekeeping Centre in Ottawa and the Australian Federal Police.
During the course of his extensive career, Doug was the recipient of a Canadian peacekeeping service medal, a Queen’s Golden Jubilee medal, a 30-year silver clasp and the police exemplary service medal. He will be remembered as a brave and generous friend, colleague, father and husband.
He is survived by his wife, Lise and his three children, Julie, Mathieu and Luc.
James Coates, a native of Canada, held several positions in the Department of Public Information (DPI) before joining the UN Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) in the summer of 2008.Alexandra Duguay, 1978 - 2010
After a musical childhood in which he played guitar and piano and was an avid singer and gymnast, James left Newfoundland to pursue a Bachelor of Arts at Laval University in Quebec City. He also received a degree from the London School of Journalism.
Described as “sharp-witted, personable and disarmingly charming,” James was well-read, well-traveled and passionate about seeking out new experiences.
His career outside the UN included jobs in Togo, Benin, Vietnam and Italy, as well as in Toronto and Quebec City, where he lived for many years. James spoke English, French and Vietnamese.
One colleague remembered that “his travels were also occasions to show what an amazing photographer he was, which I strongly believe has to do with the way he saw the world. James was also very fond of nature and the great outdoors.”
To satisfy his passion for writing and music, he worked as a journalist and a disc jockey, and frequently wrote reviews of music and travel destinations.
In New York, James worked in the Meetings Coverage Section of the Press Service in DPI’s News and Media Division and then in the Communications Campaigns Service of DPI’s Strategic Communications Division. He also worked with the team that drafted the Report of the Independent Panel on Safety and Security of UN Personnel and Premises Worldwide.
According to one colleague, “James' sense of humor brought such joy at the end of a long day and our lunch dates were a bright spot in my weeks. James had an ability to be light and funny, but he also had a profound appreciation for the complexity of our lives and the lifestyle we had chosen as UN staff. He offered invaluable counsel to his friends and never shied away from being lovingly honest.”
Another said that James “always gave [his friends] the best advice. He was very fond of practical solutions and was incredibly helpful in solving complicated situations.”
"James made friends easily because he could always connect on some common ground. And people, no matter who they were, just seemed to like to talk to him,” added a close friend.
“I was with James when he found out he had been selected to go to Haiti on mission and I will never forget how happy and excited he was,” said a colleague. “He was good to the people and good for this planet […] He had this great ability to really seize the day and live it fully and peacefully at the same time. He was very much appreciative of life and was making the most of it.”
A brief biography of James can be found at the journalism web site “suite101,” to which he was a regular contributor.
Ms. Alexandra Duguay, a national of Canada, began her career at the United Nations some 12 years ago. Then only 19 years of age, she started as an assistant during the General Assembly and then took on various communications roles within the Department of Public Information before joining the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) in 2009. She had been in Port-au-Prince for seven months.
Known occasionally as “Miss Sunshine” or simply as “Alex,” she served as a warm welcome to all new staff covering the General Assembly. This sunny attitude ensured she always remained courteous under stressful situations. One colleague remembered how nicely she approached a then newcomer to help evacuate the building on 11 September 2001.
Originally from Québec City, a colleague described Alex as “a perfect example of the type of ambitious, accomplished, multilingual, effortlessly cool young person who is drawn to New York and the UN.”
She moved to Haiti in June 2009, spurred on by her sense of adventure, eagerness to help out, and to join her partner and UN staffer, Marc-André Franche (Canada), who survived the earthquake.
“She had been drawn to the UN by her passion for humanitarian affairs that had existed since childhood,” said her mother.
This devotion was evident, as she consistently looked for extra ways to help where she could in Haiti. In December, Alex was involved with the work of Sister Flora, who runs an orphanage on the island of Ile à Vaches.
A truly selfless person, she helped neighborhood children. She designed and decorated colorful new street signs for “Impasse Tulipe” in her neighbourhood in Port-au-Prince where many streets are nonexistent. Alex took the initiative to construct a sign herself.
This notion of injecting the world with color was natural to Alex. Colleagues and friends recollect her signature sense of humor, boundless enthusiasm and infectious laugh.
She is perhaps best summed up with the following quote from one colleague: “Alex is the equation between energy and perpetual motion."
Alex enjoyed all aspects of life. She ran marathons in New York and in Paris, loved traveling and children, and was fascinated by arts and photography. She was described by her professor at the NYU School of Continuing and Professional Studies as his “star student.”
As a UN figure that made a positive impact on everyone with whom she came across, most will agree with one of her colleagues who said, “The memory of your light will fill the void. The tragedy of your loss reminds us never to take anything for granted.”
Her family is planning to organize a public funeral to take place towards the end of next week in her hometown of Québec City.
She is survived by her parents, her four sisters, her brother and Marc-André Franche.
Guillaume Siemienski, 1954 - 2010 [added 27 January]
Mr. Guillaume Siemienski, a Canadian national, started working with the United Nations in 2008 when he was posted as a Senior Political Affairs Officer with the UN Observer Mission in Georgia (UNOMIG) in Tbilisi. He was reassigned to the UN Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) in Port-au-Prince in August 2009. He was 55 years old when the earthquake struck.
Before joining the UN Guillaume worked in the Canadian Ministry of Citizenship and Multiculturalism for over ten years. From 2001-2005, he worked in Canadian Embassies in Moscow, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Ankara. During this period he also went on a few missions for the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE). In 1999, he was appointed Senior Development Officer at the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA).
On 16 January 2010, the Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper issued a statement on the deaths of Guillaume Siemienski and another Canadians stationed in Haiti. “Their deaths are a reminder of the sacrifice Canadian men and women … are willing to make in order to bring Canadian generosity and aid to Haiti and the world.”
Guillaume was the head of the Messaging Unit in the Political Affairs Division in MINUSTAH and was in charge of reviewing and supervising the production of all speeches, ranging from medal parade speeches to speeches for inaugurations, and daily and weekly situation reports.
His team described him as “a pleasant, jolly colleague.”
He was remembered for “cracking jokes and laughing loudly during Monday morning team meetings.”
He was “very personable and had a great way of never making you feel supervised.”
He always inspired positive energy among his family, friends and colleagues. “The house would shake from the energy that he inspired.”
“He was the sunniest, most loving person,” said his sister.
Guillaume held an Honours Bachelor’s degree in Russian and Slavic Studies from McGill University and another degree from Université de Paris III, in Contemporary Soviet Studies. He spoke several languages fluently including English, French, Russian, and Polish as well as German less so.
He spent most of his life doing humanitarian work. “He truly believed in working towards democracy and human rights,” his sister also said.
Guillaume and his wife had just returned to Haiti after a visit to Montreal, where the couple spent the Christmas holidays with their family. At the gathering, he sang a song he composed to describe his life with his wife, Maria Karolina.
Guillaume is survived by his wife, and two sons, Christopher who resides in Poland, and Martin who attends university in Montreal.
