UN’s Geneva site briefly shut due to security incident
The Palais des Nations was temporarily sealed off on Friday morning after an intruder broke through the security perimeter.
UN spokeswoman Alessandra Vellucci said the incident lasted no more than about half an hour, and that UN security teams and Geneva police were investigating.
She declined to identify the “intruder” or say whether he or she was in custody, but called it a “minor” incident.
+ Read more: the palace at the centre of world peace
The Geneva site, which houses a vast array of operations by the world body, is the second-largest UN facility outside of its headquarters in New York and is home to its European headquarters.
Up to several thousand people can work on the premises at any one time. However, since the Covid-19 pandemic and home office regulations, the Palais des Nations has rarely been at full capacity.
In a fortnight, hundreds of delegates are expected to attend the session of the UN Human Rights Council.
+ A photographic tour through the Palais des Nations
Vellucci said the last such security breach at the UN offices in Geneva occurred in 2017, also without major incident.
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