United Nations Headquarters to Observe International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers, 25 May
United Nations Headquarters will observe the International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers and mark the seventy-fifth anniversary of United Nations Peacekeeping on Thursday, 25 May.
In 1948, the historic decision was made 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.
Since that time, more than 2 million peacekeepers from 125 countries have since served in 71 operations around the world. Today, 87,000 women and men are serving in 12 conflict zones across Africa, Asia, Europe and the Middle East.
During formal ceremonies at United Nations Headquarters, Secretary-General António Guterres will lay a wreath to honour the more than 4,200 United Nations peacekeepers who have lost their lives since 1948. He will also preside over a ceremony in the General Assembly Hall at which Dag Hammarskjöld Medals will be awarded posthumously to 103 military, police and civilian peacekeepers who lost their lives serving under the United Nations flag last year.
The Secretary-General will also present the 2022 Military Gender Advocate of the Year Award to Captain Cecilia Erzuah, a military officer from Ghana who served with the United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA).
Created in 2016, the Award “recognizes the dedication and effort of an individual peacekeeper in promoting the principles of UN Security Council resolution 1325 on women, peace and security”.
In his message, the Secretary-General said: “United Nations peacekeepers are the beating heart of our commitment to a more peaceful world. For 75 years, they have supported people and communities rocked by conflict and upheaval across the globe. Today, on the International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers, we honour their extraordinary contributions to international peace and security.”
The theme for this year’s observance, “Peace Begins with Me”, recognizes the contribution and efforts of United Nations peacekeepers alongside many partners including the communities that we serve to secure peace and progress.
The International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers was established by the United Nations 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.
Schedule of Events at Headquarters on 25 May
9:40 a.m.: The Secretary-General will lay a wreath in honour of fallen peacekeepers at the Peacekeepers Memorial Site on the North Lawn. (If inclement weather, the ceremony will be held near the Chagall window in the Visitors’ Lobby). Only UN Photo and UN TV will cover the ceremony. It will not be webcast live, but will be available on demand soon after the event: https://media.un.org/.
10:00 a.m.: The Dag Hammarskjöld Medal and Military Gender Advocate of the Year ceremonies will be held in the General Assembly Hall and shown live on UN Webcast: https://media.un.org/.
12:00 p.m.: Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix will be the guest at the noon briefing. It will be webcast live at https://media.un.org/.
Media Contacts
Douglas Coffman, Department of Global Communications, tel.: +1 917 361 9923, email: coffmand@un.org; or Oana Raluca Topala, Department of Peace Operations, email: topala@un.org.
For more information, please visit the Peacekeepers Day websites at: https://www.un.org/en/observances/peacekeepers-day; or https://peacekeeping.un.org/en/international-day-of-peacekeepers-2023.