Sarah Peters | United Nations Information Center, Washington D.C
Thirty years ago, Americans suffered what the Federal Bureau of Investigation called “the worst act of homegrown terrorism in the nation’s history,” on 19 April 1995.
The bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building, which housed 17 federal agencies in downtown Oklahoma City, resulted in the death of 168 people, including 19 children. It injured 680 more and forever changed the lives of their families, and countless others.
Other terrorist attacks followed, claiming innocent victims around the globe. Those of 11 September 2001 killed people from 102 nations. They inflicted lasting health impacts on many first-responders and other workers, as well as survivors who escaped from the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, who continue to suffer from the long-term effects of respiratory diseases, cancers, post-traumatic stress disorder and other illnesses. The attacks deeply affected American society, culture, and policy.
Our commemoration of the International Day of Remembrance and Tribute to the Victims of Terrorism, on 21 August, focused on its 2025 theme: “United for Hope: Collective Actions for Victims of Terrorism.” That emphasizes the hope that emerges when victims and their communities come together to transform pain into purpose, and drive meaningful change.
The exemplifies this hope and these possibilities in its remembrance of the attack of 19 April 1995. Kari Watkins, its President and CEO, described its focus and continuing work in an interview with the UN Information Center.
Each year, the Memorial & Museum welcomes more than 500,000 visitors, marking ‘a day of darkness’ and countering it with ‘decades of light.’ It centers on the individual victims of that attack, “all important to somebody,” Ms. Watkins said. “You pass by the museum and, in a good way, are forced to remember.”
With the support of people from Oklahoma City and throughout the nation, it highlights education’s role in preventing terrorism, hosting events focused on helping younger generations understand the attack that shocked the nation.
When she first went into this field, “terrorism wasn’t in the nightly news,” Ms. Watkins noted. Since then, the rising number of terrorist attacks underscores the need to continue emphasizing that violence is senseless and unacceptable – and the power of community and diplomacy to counter it. “There is hope,” she said. “People have looked at Oklahoma City to find hope.” The Memorial & Museum offers not only information, but places “of quiet reflection – where hope begins to grow anew.”
? The Oklahoma City National Memorial and Museum | A photograph of the Gallery of Honor in the Oklahoma City National Memorial and Museum honoring the victims of the Oklahoma City terrorist attack in 1995
The United Nations suffered a terrorist bombing of its own offices in Baghdad in August 2003. That killed 22 humanitarian staff, including three Americans and its top official in Iraq, the UN Special Representative of the Secretary-General, Sergio Vieira de Mello.
Today, the United Nations works to combat the scourge of terrorism that afflicts Member States around the globe, through diplomacy and solidarity – as well as through practical measures to help prevent terrorism and counter evolving threats of violent extremism.
Among these initiatives is work by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). Its works with criminal justice officials globally on the investigation, prosecution and adjudication of terrorism cases, to strengthen their capacity to implement their nations’ counter-terrorism legislation. It also works to counter the use of the internet for terrorist purposes. By delivering technical assistance upon Member States’ request, UNODC empowers communities with preventive measures that aim to reduce potential vulnerabilities. Its work locally aims to ensure that – in the fight to end terrorism – no one is left behind.
The United Nations also works globally, facilitating cooperation grounded in international legal instruments and human rights norms. It acts collectively to support victims of terrorism, by acknowledging the treacherous effects of terrorism on them. And it remains dedicated to achieving the shared hope of a terrorism-free world.
For more:
UN Office of Counterterrorism:
/counterterrorism/cct/victims-of-terrorism
UN Office on Drugs and Crime:
