UNITED NATIONS, May 29 (APP): The United Nations is honouring staff serving at its field missions around the world through several events to mark the International Day of UN Peacekeepers on Thursday.
At UN Headquarters in New York, a solemn ceremony is set to take place Thursday afternoon at which the World body will honour 57 military, police, and civilian peacekeepers, including two Pakistanis, who lost their lives serving the cause of international peace and security.
Among the posthumous awardees of Dag Hammarskjold medals are: Sepoy Muhammad Tarique and Havildar Ahsan Ullah Khan who both served with UN Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA).
The first UN peacekeeping operation was established in 1948 and today more than 68,000 civilian, military, and police personnel are posted at 11 missions in Africa, Asia, Europe and the Middle East.
Pakistan is the 5th largest contributor of uniformed personnel to UN Peacekeeping, the UN’s flagship activity. It currently deploys more than 2,800 military and police personnel to the UN peace operations in Abyei, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Cyprus, Somalia, South Sudan and Western Sahara.
The Day pays tribute to their unwavering service and sacrifice while honouring the more than 4,400 blue helmets who have died in the line of duty over the past 77 years – 57 in 2024 alone.
This year’s theme focuses on the future of peacekeeping and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres noted that “peacekeepers face increasingly complex situations in an increasingly complex world.”
He highlighted growing polarization and division across the globe, threats such as terrorism and deadly misinformation targeting peacekeepers, as well as challenges that transcend borders ranging from climate change to transnational crime.
“Now more than ever, the world needs the United Nations – and the United Nations needs peacekeeping that is fully equipped for today’s realities and tomorrow’s challenges,” he said.
The Secretary-General stressed that “it is essential that peacekeepers have what they need to do their jobs” and “this is the shared responsibility of the United Nations and Member States.”
The commemoration at UN Headquarters in New York includes a wreath-laying ceremony as well as the presentation of awards to two outstanding women peacekeepers whose work helps to advance gender equality in the field.
The International Day of UN Peacekeepers was established by the UN General Assembly in 2002, to pay tribute to all men and women serving in peacekeeping, and to honour the memory of those who have lost their lives in the cause of peace.