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UN honours 'blue helmets,' seeks to build modern, adaptive peacekeeping force

29 May 2014 – Hailing the "long and proud" history of United Nations peacekeeping – with over one million "blue helmets" having served in more than 70 operations on four continents since 1948 – Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon led the Organization today in honouring those men and women who lost their lives in the past year, while looking to the future, envisioning a modern, global force that can effectively tackle emerging peace and security challenges.

On this International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers, observed annually on 29 May, the world body honoured the 106 peacekeepers who died last year while serving under the UN flag, bringing the total number of lives lost in the history of peacekeeping to more than 3,200.

"We mourn the passing of every one of these courageous individuals. We grieve with their friends and families and we recommit ourselves to ensure that their contributions to the cause of peace will never be forgotten," declared the Secretary-General in his message for the Day.

At UN Headquarters in New York, Mr. Ban will preside over a wreath-laying ceremony in honour of all peacekeepers who lost their lives last year. In addition, the Dag Hammarskjöld Medal will be awarded posthumously to the peacekeepers who have fallen in the line of duty during the preceding year.

In his message, the UN chief noted that today, more than 116,000 UN personnel from more than 120 countries serve in 16 peacekeeping operations. "At great personal risk, these military, police and civilian personnel help stabilize communities, protect civilians, promote the rule of law and advance human rights."

UN peacekeeping is modernizing to ensure that it can tackle tomorrow's peace and security challenges. It is deploying new technologies such as unarmed, unmanned aerial vehicles, refining its practices to better protect civilians, and boosting the representation of women among its ranks while strengthening its partnerships with regional organizations.

"The United Nations is improving logistics and administrative practices, strengthening infrastructure and taking other steps to harness the power of our personnel," said Mr. Ban, adding: "Our goal is to ensure that peacekeeping is a cost effective, valuable investment that brings enormous benefits and, above all, saves lives."

He added that over the past year, the Security Council established two peacekeeping operations – in Mali and in the Central African Republic – again highlighting its trust in UN peacekeepers to take on tough challenges.

In addition, the UN mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, known as MONUSCO, helped the Government defeat the M23 rebels that had preyed on civilians in the country's east.

In South Sudan, for the first time in UN peacekeeping history, the mission there systematically opened the gates of its bases to tens of thousands of civilians, saving their lives and protecting them from either Government or opposition forces, he said, while also highlighting another first: "In an historic breakthrough, a woman was named the first female Force Commander of a UN peacekeeping operation."

Earlier this month, the Security Council established the 'Captain Mbaye Diagne Medal,' named after an unarmed Senegalese peacekeeper who lost his own life after saving as many as a thousand people during the 1994 genocide in Rwanda.

"This medal will honour UN personnel who demonstrate exceptional courage. Let us all commit to following the selfless example of Mbaye Diagne and other fallen heroes, as we work together to help our blue helmets be a force for peace, a force for change, and a force for the future," declared the Secretary-General.

In his message for the Day, John Ashe, President of the General Assembly, encouraged Member States, civil society and other stakeholders to support this year's theme: "UN Peacekeeping: A Force for Peace. A Force for Change. A Force for the Future."

"We must ensure that security challenges are addressed in the countries where peacekeepers work so that we can create a more sustainable future for all members of the international community," he said.

As the UN and the international community continue the global effort to set the stage for the creation of a post-2015 development agenda, innovation and technology, especially the transfer of new and emerging technologies will greatly contribute to strengthening global security. "We must continue to create new ways of using these technologies to protect those at greatest risk in conflict and war-torn countries," said Mr. Ashe.