Today the world community celebrates one of the important dates. Today is the international day of UN peacekeepers. In 2002, the UN General Assembly, by its resolution (57/129), declared May 29 as the International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers. In recent years, it has been decided to celebrate it with events united by a common theme that changes every year.
This date is intended to pay tribute to the self-sacrifice and selfless dedication of peacekeepers serving around the world. It commemorates what the UN has done in various countries to alleviate the suffering and reconcile the warring parties. When the United Nations Security Council established the first peacekeeping mission on that day in 1948, few in the Council Chamber could have imagined the extent to which UN peacekeeping would change.
The days of lightly armed peacekeepers on foot patrols along the ceasefire line between sovereign states are long gone. The current UN peacekeeping operations are becoming increasingly complex and multifaceted, they are not limited to verifying compliance with the ceasefire, but actually solve the problem of rebuilding countries that are on the verge of collapse, often after decades of conflict.
The Blue Helmets and their civilian counterparts work together to organize elections, actively participate in reforming the police and judiciary, promote and protect human rights, uphold the principles of equality between men and women, organize voluntary disarmament, demining, support the return of refugees and displaced persons to their places of origin.
For 7 decades, more than 1 million men and women have served under the UN flag. The work of peacekeepers is fraught with risk. And today, on the International Day of Peacekeepers, the UN welcomes the work of peacekeepers, and also honors the memory of the fallen peacekeepers. In the entire history of the existence of the UN peacekeeping force, almost 4,200 Blue Helmets have given their lives in the name of the cause of peace.
On this day, at UN Headquarters in New York, the Secretary-General conducts a wreath-laying ceremony in memory of the peacekeepers who died in the line of duty under the UN flag. In addition, on this day, the Dag Hammarshold Medal posthumous award ceremony is held for peacekeepers who died in the line of duty the previous year.
UN peacekeeping operations use this Day to strengthen ties with the local populations they protect. Missions organize sporting events, school and orphanage visits, art and literature competitions, photo exhibitions, cleanups, tree planting, concerts, conferences and peacekeeping workshops.
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Serdar Rahimov,
student of the Institute of International Relations
of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan.
Young SDG ambassador.
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