LATEST ISSUE
International Day of UN Peacekeepers
Since the first UN Peacekeeping mission was established in 1948, thousands of police and civilian personnel have lost their lives in the service of peace as a result of acts of violence, accidents and disease. On 29 May, UN offices, alongside Member States and non-governmental organizations, hold solemn events to honour fallen peacekeepers. At the UN Headquarters in New York, the Secretary-General presides over a wreath-laying ceremony in honour of all peacekeepers who lost their lives while serving under the UN flag. In addition, the Dag Hammarskjöld Medal is awarded posthumously to the peacekeepers who have fallen while serving in the cause of peace, during the preceding year. Since the establishment of UNTSO, the first peacekeeping mission in May 1948, we have lost over 3,000 Peacekeepers.