New York Headquarters will observe the International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers on Thursday, 27 May.  Secretary-General António Guterres will lay a wreath to honour the more than 4,000 United Nations peacekeepers who have lost their lives since 1948 and preside over a ceremony at which the Dag Hammarskjöld Medal will be awarded posthumously to 129 military, police and civilian peacekeepers from 44 countries, who lost their lives serving under the United Nations flag in 2020 and in the first month of 2021.

The Secretary-General will also award the “2020 Military Gender Advocate of the Year Award” to Major Steplyne Buyaki Nyaboga, a Kenyan military officer who served with the African Union–United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur (UNAMID).  Created in 2016, the Award “recognizes the dedication and effort of an individual peacekeeper in promoting the principles of UN Security Council resolution 1325 (2000) on women, peace and security”.

In a message to mark the Day, the Secretary-General said of the fallen peacekeepers:  “Their service and sacrifices will never be forgotten.”  He further said:  “I express my deep gratitude to the 85,000 civilian, police and military personnel currently deployed in some of the world’s most challenging hotspots to protect the vulnerable and help to build peace.  Despite the restrictions imposed by the pandemic, as well as the risk of infection, these men and women have pursued their mission while also supporting local authorities in the fight against COVID-19.  I offer sincere condolences to the families of peacekeepers who have fallen victim to this terrible disease.”

The theme for this year’s observance is, “The road to a lasting peace:  Leveraging the power of youth for peace and security”.  Tens of thousands of young peacekeepers deployed around the world play a key role in helping United Nations missions implement their mandated activities, with the active participation of young people from host communities.  Across the missions, peacekeepers collaborate with youth to reduce violence and sustain peace, including through disarmament, demobilization and reintegration, and community violence reduction programmes.

Jean-Pierre Lacroix, Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations, said:  “We salute the dedication and bravery of our peacekeepers, who serve and perform admirably in challenging environments only compounded by the ongoing pandemic.  I also honour our young peacekeepers who bring energy and innovation and serve as role models to youth populations working tirelessly to ensure meaningful representation and participation in political processes.”

He added:  “Our peacekeepers deserve our full support, and we must continue to work together to do all we can to improve their safety and security and give them the tools to succeed.”

The International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers was established by the General Assembly in 2002 to pay tribute to all men and women serving in peacekeeping, and to honour the memory of those who have lost their lives in the cause of peace.  The General Assembly designated 29 May as the International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers in commemoration of the day in 1948 when the Organization’s first peacekeeping mission, the United Nations Truce Supervision Organization (UNTSO), began operations in Palestine.

Since then, more than 1 million women and men have served in 72 United Nations peacekeeping operations, directly impacting millions of people, and saving countless lives.  Today, the United Nations deploys more than 89,000 military, police and civilian personnel in 12 operations.

While the Day will be marked at New York Headquarters on 27 May, United Nations missions and offices around the world will commemorate the Day on 29 May.

Schedule of Events at Headquarters on 27 May

10:00 a.m.:  The Secretary-General will lay a wreath in honour of all fallen peacekeepers at the Peacekeepers Memorial Site on the North Lawn.  Only UN Photo and UN TV will cover the ceremony.

10:30 a.m.:  The Dag Hammarskjöld Medal and Military Gender Advocate of the Year award ceremonies will be held virtually and shown live on UN Webcast:  webtv.un.org/.

11:45 a.m.:  Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix will be the guest at the noon briefing.  It will be webcast live at webtv.un.org/.

Media Contacts

Douglas Coffman, Department of Global Communications tel.:  +1 917 361 9923, email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.; Hector Calderon, Department of Peace Operations, tel.:  +1 917 226 5219, email:  This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

For more information, please visit the Peacekeepers Day website here:  www.un.org/en/events/peacekeepersday.

Follow UN Peacekeeping on TikTok, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram using the hashtags #PKday and #youthpeacesecurity. - United Nations

BAMAKO, Mali — Mutinous soldiers arrested Mali’s transitional president and prime minister Monday hours after a government reshuffle left out two members of the junta that had seized power in a coup nine months earlier, the African Union and United Nations said.

A joint statement issued along with the West African regional bloc known as ECOWAS and other members of the international community called for the immediate release of President Bah N’Daw and Prime Minister Moctar Ouane, who were taken to the Kati military headquarters.

Those who signed on to the joint statement called for Mali’s political transition “to resume its course and conclude within the established timeframe.” 

“The international community rejects in advance any act of coercion, including forced resignations,” the statement said. “They emphasize that the ill-considered action taken today carries the risk of weakening the mobilization of the international community in support of Mali.”

The developments raised new alarm about whether the transitional government would be able to move ahead freely with plans to organize new democratic elections as promised by next February in Mali, where the U.N. is spending $1.2 billion a year on a peacekeeping mission.

The two leaders were sworn in last September after the ruling military junta agreed to hand over power to a civilian transitional government under growing international pressure.

The junta had grabbed power a month earlier after mutinous soldiers encircled the home of President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita and fired shots into the air. He later resigned on national television under duress, saying he did not want blood to be shed in order for him to stay in office.

The soldiers then went on state television hours later calling themselves the National Committee for the Salvation of the People and promising a swift return to civilian rule. However, Monday’s developments appeared to throw that promise into question. 

The arrests came just an hour or so after a new government Cabinet was announced. Notably it did not include Interior Security Minister Modibo Kone or Defense Minister Sadio Camara, both junta supporters. No reason was given for their exclusion, but the move suggested mounting divisions within the transitional government. 

There has been widespread concern the upheaval in Mali over the past year has further set back efforts to contain the militants linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State groups. 

Islamic extremists took control of major towns in northern Mali after the 2012 coup. Only a 2013 military intervention led by the former colonial power France pushed extremists out of those towns. France and a U.N. force have continued to battle the extremist rebels, who operate in rural areas and regularly attack roads and cities.

Associated Press writer Baba Ahmed reported this story in Bamako and AP writer Krista Larson reported from Dakar, Senegal. East Bay Times