25 May, 2015, Nairobi - UNESCO and United Nations Information Centre (UNIC), together with our stakeholders in Kenya are organizing an interactive panel discussion on Peacekeeping in Africa, in celebrating the contribution of the UN Peacekeepers to peace, security and development in this region.

The event will be a prelude to the actual International Day (29 May), during which a formal ceremony of wreath laying, and parades by the security services, among others, will take place at the UN Compound in Gigiri.

The interactive panel discussion, Peacekeeping in Perspective: Reflections from Africa on the Past Five Decades, is aimed to generate a public conversation on the experience of peacekeeping in Africa, and to explore its complex challenges leading up to present day peace and security situations.

About International Day of UN Peacekeepers

On 22 May, 2002, the United Nations General Assembly adopted Resolution 57/179 (A/Res/57/1790), declaring 29 May, as International Day of UN Peacekeepers. In that resolution, the General Assembly set out two clear objectives for marking the day annually, namely; first, to honour the memory of those peacekeepers who have lost their lives in the line of duty; and second, pay tribute to those who continue to serve as peacekeepers around the world. The General Assembly therefore called on all Member States and the UN System for that matter, to observe the day, “in an appropriate manner.”

Press Release on International Day of UN Peacekeepers Celebration Interactive Panel Discussion

Contact:

Abdul Lamin, UNESCO Social and Human Science l Programme Specialist: +254 (0)20 762 2621, ar.lamin(at)unesco.org

Masakazu Shibata, UNESCO Public Information Officer: +254 (0)20 762 2347, m.shibata(at)unesco.org