Honouring Fallen Peacekeepers, Secretary-General Commends Peru for Continued Engagement in Advancing Goals of United Nations

Following is UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s message, delivered by Major General Adrian Foster, Deputy Military Adviser for Peacekeeping Operations, for the commemoration ceremony for fallen Peruvian peacekeepers, in Lima today:

It is my honour to join in commemorating the three soldiers who lost their lives 41 years ago while serving in the Second United Nations Emergency Force in the Middle East:  Vincencio Rosas Regalado, Rodolfo Neyra Cordova and Javier Espinoza Sanchez.  Their sacrifice has not been forgotten, and it was not in vain.

The Egypt-Israel Peace Treaty signed in 1979 remains a critical anchor of regional stability.  The Second United Nations Emergency Force played an essential role in stabilizing relations between the two countries.

I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the fallen soldiers for their contribution, and my condolences to the families and all others touched by their loss.  I also want to thank the Government and people of Peru for their longstanding support of UN peacekeeping.

Peru first sent its troops to Lebanon in 1958.

Since 2002, Peru has been increasing its contributions.  Your troops are now deployed to seven operations, with nearly 400 personnel playing a variety of vital roles.

Peru has been a particularly important partner in Haiti, as the oldest troop contributing country, as well as one of the largest.

Your commitment was further enhanced by your decision to continue providing troops to MINUSTAH [United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti] in a joint battalion with Uruguay.  This kind of bilateral partnership enriches the peacekeepers’ experience, and strengthens the credibility of our collective action.

We are also grateful for your recent announcement to contribute an airfield maintenance and construction company to our mission in the Central African Republic.

We believe Latin America has considerable potential to increase its contributions to peacekeeping, having acquired significant experience in diverse missions.  Your decision to deploy to MINUSCA [United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic] is therefore encouraging, and we hope your sister countries will follow your example.

Thank you again for your continued engagement in advancing the goals of the United Nations.  May Peru’s fallen peacekeepers continue to rest in peace.