History
International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers seeks to honor and pay tribute to all the peacekeepers that lost their lives serving under the United Nation’s flag. This day acknowledges the contributions and efforts of the uniformed and civilian personnel serving under the UN. According to the UN, today there are 95,000 military, police, and civilian peacekeeping personnel deployed in 13 operations around the world.
International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers was established in 2002 by the UN General Assembly. It is observed annually on May 29th.
Every day, United Nations peacekeepers work to protect hundreds of thousands of vulnerable people in the world’s most fragile political and security situations.
Civilian and uniformed personnel in peacekeeping missions support ceasefires, prevent and respond to violence, investigate human rights violations and abuses, and help build peace, recovery, and development in many conflict-affected countries. There is no doubt that lives are saved and changed by their presence.
The International Day of UN Peacekeepers on 29 May is an opportunity to recognize the service and sacrifice of the more than one million personnel who have served under the blue flag since 1948. It is also a chance to honour the memory of the more than 4,000 peacekeepers who lost their lives in the cause of peace.
This year, the United Nations will mark the occasion under the theme, People Peace Progress: The Power of Partnerships.
Peacekeeping is just one of many tools used by the United Nations to help secure global peace and security. It is a collective enterprise. Standing alone, we can never succeed. But, together with partners, we are strong and changing lives for the better.
Today, we thank all those who work with us in the pursuit of peace, including other UN entities, humanitarians, the communities we serve, women and youth, media, academia, traditional and faith-based leaders, host governments, Troop and Police Contributing Countries, Member States, and many others.
We also issue a call to action by joining UN Peacekeeping’s campaign online and on the ground, as we highlight the stories of peacekeeping and the power of partnerships that help us secure peace, progress and sustainable development.
https://peacekeeping.un.org/en/international-day-of-peacekeepers-2022
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