On 19 August 2003 a truck bombed the UN headquarters in Baghdad ending a mission for peace and the life of its warriors, sending their battling souls to sky. In 2008, the killings due to this incident the UN prompted 19 August as “World Humanitarian Day”. It would take me twenty-two articles to talk about them all but today I would place the telescope on our Egyptian star “Nadia Younes.” Nadia is a real-world wonder woman who Kofi Anan former secretary depicted as a flame bringing a burning sense of justice to all the places she went to all the roles she held.
Egyptian Heroine
Nadia wasn’t just another diplomat. She was a daughter of Cairo, a graduate of Cairo University and the American University in Cairo. A woman who built a remarkable 33-year career within the United Nations and the World Health Organization. Fluent in four languages and known for her unmatched communication skills, she moved with ease through the corridors of diplomacy and the frontlines of humanitarian work. She served as Deputy Spokeswoman for the Secretary-General, Chief of Protocol, and Director of the UN Information Centre in Rome. Her sharp intellect and grace under pressure earned her a central role during the Kosovo crisis. She led the public information office of the UN Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) from 1999 to 2001.
That experience proved crucial. In May 2003, Sergio Vieira de Mello, then the UN Special Representative in Iraq, handpicked Nadia as his Chief of Staff. Together, they embarked on the daunting mission of supporting post-war reconstruction amid deep political instability. Just three months later, both were killed in the Baghdad bombing.
Humanity Above All
Former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan remembered her not just for her professional excellence, but for her personality and heart. “Nadia lit up every room she entered—with her presence, her intelligence, her wit, her warmth, her humour, and above all, her burning sense of justice,”. He called her sparkle a “Cairene twinkle,” a nod to her roots and the unique charisma she carried into even the gravest settings.
“She was almost a prototype of the modern Egyptian woman. She wore the multiple identities implied in that phrase, together with the global identity that she effortlessly layered over them, with equal pride and equal comfort. For her, these various identities were never in conflict with each other.”- Kofi Annan
In the real world, wonder women don’t fly. They walk into war zones, into negotiations, into refugee camps and press rooms. They face danger with determination, fueled by a belief that justice, dignity, and peace are worth the cost. Nadia Younes died fighting for those ideals. But the love she carried into every mission, the humor she shared with colleagues, and the courage she embodied—those didn’t die with her.
We salute her, and every humanitarian who has bravely served in the name of peace and protection. We pray for all who suffer from war, dream of serenity, and wish for home. Because, in the end, that’s what Nadia stood for: not just diplomacy, but humanity.