The Police Division of the Department of Peace Operations gathered on 31 August to pay tribute to the memory of Andrew Hughes (Australia), a former UN Police Adviser from 2007 to 2009. Commissioner Hughes passed away on 29 August at the age of 62.
Commissioner Hughes had 33 years of policing experience both at the national and international levels. He was responsible for 12,500 police officers, drawn from 100 contributing countries and deployed in 18 missions around the world.
The Commissioner served the Police Division with the highest levels of integrity, dedication, professionalism and leadership.
After leaving his post as UN Police Adviser, Commissioner Hughes continued his contribution to the UN by mentoring six Senior Mission Leaders programmes during 2010 and 2011. He also chaired two separate UN Headquarters Boards of Inquiry on fatal attacks on the United Nations in Afghanistan, in which 12 international staff members were killed.
Prior to his appointment to the United Nations, Commissioner Hughes was the Chief Police Officer for the Australian Capital Territory.