International Day of
United Nations Peacekeepers
May 29

"For all the civilians saved thanks to the presence of peacekeepers, there have been those who were lost – the United Nations personnel who sacrificed their lives for a noble cause. Even as we mourn our fallen colleagues, we are all uplifted by their unflinching commitment and are inspired to strive even harder for the collective cause so eloquently envisaged in the United Nations Charter: a world free from the scourge of war." ~ Jan Eliasson (Former President of the UN General Assembly)

The mission of the United Nations is to help create a more peaceful, just and sustainable world. For many of us, this is a noble ideal we can hope for while we go about our daily lives, but for countries torn apart by war, peace is an urgent need. UN Peacekeepers help countries torn apart by conflict create conditions for peace. UN Peacekeepers are soldiers, police and civilian personnel from many countries around the world. They help monitor peace processes, and help conflicting sides to carry out peace agreements they've agreed upon. In its over 60 year history, United Nations Peacekeepers have been involved in 172 peaceful settlements!

In 1988, the Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to the United Nations Peace-keeping Forces. May 29 was designated by the United Nations as the International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers, to honor the men and women who have served and who are serving in United Nations peacekeeping operations, and to pay tribute to those who have lost there lives helping to bring peace. It is also a time to remind our governments of the importance of supporting the United Nations. Some nations, like the United States have not lived up to their financial obligations to the UN, making it difficult for the UN to do its important work. Visit PriceOfPeace.org to sign the petition to the US Congress to show your support of UN Peacekeepers.

Dear Members of Congress: War and hostility are far too prevalent in today's world, exacting a huge economic, moral, and human cost. In contrast, the price of peace is a fraction of the cost of war. I strongly support UN peacekeeping as a fair and effective means of sharing the burdens for international security and stability. No nation should have to bear every burden, pay every bill, or take every risk; I urge you to act now to fully fund our promised contributions to the UN. Today, the UN oversees a record 18 peacekeeping missions around the world, including in some of the world's most dangerous places, such as Sudan, Lebanon, Congo, and Haiti, all of which are critical to our national and international security, and the U.S. votes to approve. The UN's lifesaving peace missions are in jeopardy because donor countries are not living up to their commitments to support UN peacekeeping, particularly the U.S. Growing shortfalls in U.S. contributions, policy restrictions, and long-standing unpaid bills threaten to put the United States more than $1 billion behind in peacekeeping obligations. Shortchanging UN peacekeeping has real impacts, forcing the UN to cobble together the necessary means for deployment and discouraging other countries from contributing their fair share of resources. I urge you to take a leading role in fulfilling U.S. commitments to UN peacekeeping by increasing funding to the Contributions to International Peacekeeping Activities (CIPA) account by $500 million in the fiscal year 2008 appropriation process. The U.S. should also take steps to pay off prior U.S. arrears. Investing in peace serves our country better than paying for the soaring costs of war. PriceOfPeace.org

 

Links
UN Hammarskjold Library Links
United Nations Peacekeeping
UN International Day of Peacekeepers

Better World Campaign's Price Of Peace Campaign

Peacekeepers Day Handout - PDF
(distribute freely with copyright notice)

Peacekeeping Quotes

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Kofi Annan

Jan Eliasson

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