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Press
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UNESCAP News Services
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21 May 2003
Press Release No: L/12/2003
THE UNITED NATIONS SECRETARY-GENERAL'S MESSAGE
ON THE DAY OF INTERNATIONAL PEACEKEEPERS, 29 May 2003
This first Day of International Peacekeepers
commemorates the sacrifice and selfless commitment of peacekeepers
serving throughout the world. It celebrates what UN peacekeepers
have done, in so many countries, to relieve suffering and reconcile
warring parties.
Fifty-five years ago, soldiers were sent on to
the battlefield under a new flag and with a new mission: a mission
of peace. That mission was without precedent in human history.
It was an attempt to confront and defeat the worst in man with
the best in man; to counter violence with tolerance, might with
moderation, and war with peace.
Peacekeeping missions today are much more complex
than they were then. The duties and responsibilities of peacekeepers
have grown.
Of course, we still undertake the critically important
task of building confidence through monitoring ceasefires and
demilitarised zones.
But today's peacekeepers are also engaged in policing
and training, serving as judges and prosecutors; administering
health and education; ensuring that human rights and gender
equality are observed. They have built administrations in Kosovo
and East Timor. And in Afghanistan, they are helping the new
authorities establish the rule of law.
Today, there are nearly 37,000 UN peacekeepers
deployed in fourteen missions on three continents. They come
from 89 countries. No figures, however, can do justice to the
ultimate sacrifice that more than eighteen hundred peacekeepers
have made over this half-century. On this day, we pay tribute
to each one of them.
The mission of UN peacekeeping will continue.
Peacekeeping by itself cannot end war. But it can help prevent
a recurrence of fighting. Above all, it gives time and space
for conflict resolution. It gives peace a chance.
I am proud to salute the peacekeepers serving
today, and to pay tribute to those who served in the past. Their
sacrifice has made the world a safer place.
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