United States Mission to the United Nations
Office of Press and Public Diplomacy
For Immediate Release
August 2, 2022
The United States and Sweden Missions to the United Nations to Unveil Sculpture in Memory of Michael Sharp and Zaida Catalán
On Wednesday, August 3 at 9:00 a.m. ET, Ambassador Jeffrey DeLaurentis, Senior Advisor for Special Political Affairs, will join Sweden’s Foreign Minister Ann Linde to unveil a sculpture titled “Abused Ammunition” on behalf of the two countries in honor of Michael Sharp and Zaida Catalán.
Ambassador DeLaurentis and Foreign Minister Linde will be joined by UN Secretary-General António Guterres and Sweden’s Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Anna Karin Eneström. Pre-recorded remarks by the sculpture’s artist, Thommy Bremberg, will also be played.
Michael Sharp and Zaida Catalán were UN experts on the frontlines of a mission investigating allegations of mass graves following fighting between government forces and a militia group in the Kasai region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. They were abducted and murdered in March 2017.
The event will take place in the UN Disarmament Corridor. UN-accredited members of the press who wish to attend in person are encouraged to arrive and setup no later than 8:45 a.m. ET. The event will also be broadcast live on UN WebTV: https://media.un.org/en/webtv.
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