MONICA KAYOMBO, Lusaka
ON May 29, this year, the United Nations (UN) yet again commemorated the International day of UN peacekeepers where several peace keepers including one Zambian who was honoured posthumously.
In a statement issued last week from the UN Headquarters in New York, UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, laid a wreath to honour the more than 4,400 UN peacekeepers who have lost their lives since
- Mr Guterres presided over a ceremony in the Trusteeship Council Chamber, at which Dag Hammarskjöld Medals were awarded posthumously to 57 military, police, and civilian Peacekeepers, who lost their lives serving under the UN flag last year. Among the peacekeepers that were honoured posthumously with the Dag Hammarskjold medal is one from Zambia: Warrant Officer Class II Matthews Kaumba who served with the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA).
The Secretary-General also presented awards to the 2024 Military Gender Advocate of the Year, Squadron Leader Sharon Mwinsote Syme from Ghana and the UN Woman Police Officer
of the Year award to Superintendent Zainab Gbla of Sierra Leone. Both of them served with the United Nations Interim Security Force in Abyei (UNISFA). This year’s theme is “the Future of Peacekeeping” and the theme emphasizes that the ‘Pact for the Future’, adopted last year at the UN includes a commitment to adapt peacekeeping to our changing world, as member States pledged to fill capability gaps and help adapt UN peacekeeping to emerging challenges and new realities at the recently held Peacekeeping Ministerial in Berlin, Germany.
In his message, UN chief António Guterres said: “Today, peacekeepers face increasingly complex situations in an increasingly complex world… Now more than ever, the world needs the United Nations — and the United Nations needs peacekeeping that is fully equipped for today’s realities and tomorrow’s challenges.Today, we honour their service: We draw inspiration from their resilience, dedication and courage. And we remember all the brave women and men who made the ultimate sacrifice for peace. We will never forget them and we will carry their work forward,’’ he observed.
UN Under-Secretary General for Peace Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix says: “Our personnel are our most important capability. The sacrifices made by our peacekeepers call for more than remembrance; they demand action. Throughout its history, peacekeeping has always adapted to ever-changing contexts to achieve results. The future of peacekeeping hinges on our collective commitment to continue to adapt and invest—so we can continue delivering hope and protection where it’s needed most. The International Day of UN Peacekeepers was established by the UN 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. In 1948, the historic decision was made to deploy military observers to the Middle East tosupervise the implementation of Israel-Arab Armistice Agreements, in what became the United Nations Truce Supervision Organization.Since that time, more than two million peacekeepers have served in 71 operations around the world.Today, some 68,000 women and men serve as military, police and civilian personnel in 11 conflict zones across Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Middle East. 119 countries currently contribute uniformed personnel.Zambia is the 16th largest contributor of uniformed personnel to UN Peacekeeping as it currently deploys 981 military and police personnel, including 251 women, to the UN peace operations in Abyei, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Lebanon, the Middle East, and South Sudan.
