Secretary-General to Lay Wreath in Honour of Fallen, as Headquarters Observes International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers, 24 May
As New York Headquarters observes the International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers on Wednesday, 24 May, Secretary-General António Guterres will lay a wreath to honour all fallen peacekeepers and preside over a ceremony for the posthumous award of the Dag Hammarskjöld Medal to 117 military, police and civilian personnel who lost their lives while serving in peacekeeping operations during 2016.
In a video message to mark the Day, the Secretary-General said: “Every day, peacekeepers help bring peace and stability to war-torn societies around the world. On the International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers, we pay tribute to the more than 3,500 peacekeepers who have given their lives in the service of peace since 1948.” He added: “Their sacrifice only strengthens our commitment to ensuring that United Nations peacekeepers continue protecting civilians in harm’s way, promoting human rights and the rule of law, removing landmines, advancing negotiations and securing a better future in the places they are deployed. Now, more than ever, it is essential that we continue investing in peace around the world.”
Jean-Pierre Lacroix, Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, said: “We pay our greatest respects to the committed and courageous peacekeepers who are no longer with us today. I offer my deepest and most sincere condolences to the families of those we honour and to the bereaved. It’s critical that we continue to invest in peace and make every effort to carry forward their noble work, and that we continue to pursue reform efforts to make United Nations peacekeeping more efficient and effective. That is the best way we can honour the memories and sacrifices of our fallen peacekeepers.”
Atul Khare, Under-Secretary-General for Field Support, said: “United Nations peacekeeping is an investment in global peace, security and prosperity, and remains the most reliable and used tool by the international community to help countries torn by conflict create conditions for lasting peace. We are continuing to work hard to ensure that UN peacekeeping is fit for purpose, performance-driven and cost-efficient. These efforts, coupled with the implementation of the Secretary-General’s reform of our peace and security architecture, enable us to deploy uniformed and civilian peacekeepers in difficult and challenging environments around the world in an efficient and an effective manner.”
Today, more than 96,000 uniformed personnel from 124 troop- and police-contributing countries serve under the blue flag, alongside more than 15,000 international and national civilian staff and nearly 1,600 United Nations Volunteers.
The International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers was established by the General Assembly in 2002, in 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. The Assembly designated 29 May as the Day, being the date in 1948 when the United Nations Truce Supervision Organization (UNTSO), the world body’s first peacekeeping mission, began operations in Palestine.
While the Day will be marked in New York on 24 May, United Nations peacekeeping operations and offices around the world will commemorate the Day on or around 29 May.
Schedule of Headquarters Events
9:30 a.m.: Wreath-laying ceremony in honour of all fallen peacekeepers at the Peacekeepers Memorial Site on the North Lawn. The ceremony is open to Headquarters-based media. The event cannot be webcast live for technical reasons, but a recording will be available later in the morning as a “recent on demand video” at webtv.un.org. In case of inclement weather, the ceremony will be held in the Visitors Lobby, near the Chagall window.
10 a.m.: The Dag Hammarskjöld Medal ceremony in the ECOSOC Chamber Hall will be shown live on United Nations Webcast.
12 noon: Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix and Under-Secretary-General for Field Support Atul Khare will be the guests at the noon briefing.
3 p.m.: A medal parade for military and police officers currently serving in the Department of Peacekeeping Operations, at the outdoor General Assembly Plaza of New York Headquarters, on the east side of the General Assembly Building.
For further information, please contact Douglas Coffman, Department of Public Information, at tel.: +1 212 963 4481, or e-mail: coffmand@un.org; or Aditya Mehta, Department of Peacekeeping Operations, at tel.: +1 917 367 5378, or e-mail: mehta2@un.org; or visit the Peacekeepers Day website at www.un.org/en/events/peacekeepersday, or the United Nations Peacekeeping website at www.un.org/en/peacekeeping/operations/pkday.shtml.