UNITED NATIONS, May 27 (APP): The United Nations is set to honour 57 military, police, and civilian peacekeepers, who lost their lives serving under the UN flag last year at a special ceremony marking the International Day of UN Peacekeepers on Thursday (May 29), it was officially announced.
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). (Abyei is an area disputed by South Sudan and the Sudan)
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres will preside over the solemn ceremony in the Trusteeship Council Chamber at UN Headquarters in New York.
The UN chief will also present awards to the 2024 Military Gender Advocate of the Year, Squadron Leader Sharon Mwinsote Syme from Ghana and the UN Woman Police Officer of the Year award to Superintendent Zainab Gbla of Sierra Leone. Both of them also serve with the United Nations Interim Security Force in Abyei (UNISFA).
This year’s theme for the Day is “the Future of Peacekeeping”. The theme emphasizes that the ‘Pact for the Future’ – adopted last year at the United Nations – includes a commitment to adapt peacekeeping to the changing world, as expressed Member States’ pledges presented to fill capability gaps and help adapt UN peacekeeping to emerging challenges and new realities at the recent Peacekeeping Ministerial in Berlin.
The Day marks the historic decision in 1948 to deploy military observers to the Middle East to supervise the implementation of Israel-Arab Armistice Agreements, in what became the United Nations Truce Supervision Organization (UNTSO).
Since that time, more than two million peacekeepers have served in 71 operations around the world. Today, some 68,000 women and men serve as military, police and civilian personnel in 11 conflict zones across Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Middle East. 119 countries currently contribute uniformed personnel.
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.
During the ceremonies, the UN secretary-general will lay a wreath to honour the more than 4,400 UN peacekeepers who have lost their lives since 1948.
In his message, the secretary-general said: “Today, peacekeepers face increasingly complex situations in an increasingly complex world… 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.”
“Today, we honour their service,” Guterres stated. ‘We draw inspiration from their resilience, dedication and courage.
And we remember all the brave women and men who made the ultimate sacrifice for peace. We will never forget them – and we will carry their work forward.”
The UN Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations, Jean-Pierre Lacroix, said, “Our personnel are our most important capability. The sacrifices made by our peacekeepers call for more than remembrance; they demand action.”
He added, “Throughout its history, peacekeeping has always adapted to ever-changing contexts to achieve results. The future of peacekeeping hinges on our collective commitment to continue to adapt and invest—so we can continue delivering hope and protection where it’s needed most.”
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.