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AMMAN (JT) — The United Nations commemorates the International Day of UN Peacekeepers on Thursday, with a ceremony at its headquarters in New York to “honour peacekeepers serving around the world and remember those who lost their lives in service.”
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 Organisation, according to a UN statement to The Jordan Times.
Since then, the UN said more than two million personnel have participated in 71 peacekeeping missions. “Today, approximately 68,000 military, police, and civilian personnel from 119 countries serve in 11 operations across Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Middle East.”
Jordan currently contributes 232 military and police personnel to six UN missions, the statement said. The largest contingent, 149 personnel, is deployed to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, with others serving in Abyei, the Central African Republic, Cyprus, South Sudan, and Western Sahara, the statement said.
At Thursday’s ceremony, UN Secretary-General António Guterres will lay a wreath to honour the more than 4,400 peacekeepers, who have died in service since 1948, including 68 Jordanians. Guterres will also award the Dag Hammarskjöld Medals posthumously to 57 peacekeepers who died in 2024.
The ceremony will also recognise “outstanding individuals, including Squadron Leader Sharon Mwinsote Syme of Ghana, named Military Gender Advocate of the Year, and Superintendent Zainab Gbla of Sierra Leone, awarded UN Woman Police Officer of the Year. Both serve with the UN Interim Security Force in Abyei.”
Themed, “The Future of Peacekeeping,” this year’s ceremony reflects the international community’s commitment to modernising UN peace operations, as outlined in the Pact for the Future and pledges made at the recent Peacekeeping Ministerial in Berlin, according to the statement.
“Today, peacekeepers face increasingly complex situations in an increasingly complex world,” Guterres said in his message. “We honour their service and sacrifice, and we recommit to equipping UN peacekeeping for today’s realities and tomorrow’s challenges.”
Jean-Pierre Lacroix, UN Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations, stressed the importance of adapting peacekeeping to evolving global contexts. “Our personnel are our most important capability,” he said. “Their sacrifices call not only for remembrance, but for action.”
The UN General Assembly established the International Day of UN Peacekeepers in 2002 to recognize the service and sacrifice of peacekeepers worldwide.