Minister for United Nations marks International Day of UN Peacekeepers
Foreign Office Minister Baroness Anelay pays tribute to the UN Peacekeepers who serve in peacekeeping operations around the world.
To mark the International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers, FCO Minister of State Baroness Anelay said:
Today we pay tribute to the commitment, bravery and dedication of all of those peacekeepers who work tirelessly to uphold international peace and security.
Over 100,000 peacekeepers currently serve in UN peacekeeping missions across the globe to protect the world’s most vulnerable and play their part in improving security and building state institutions. Their work is not easy and they are often deployed in inhospitable places and challenging circumstances.
We also remember all peacekeepers, including our own fallen soldiers, who have made the ultimate sacrifice since the first UN peacekeeping mission in 1948. I offer my thanks to all those countries that continue to provide UN peacekeepers as demonstrable evidence of their commitment to peace and the UN’s role in resolving global threats to our collective security, despite losing their men and women to conflicts that are often taking place far from their own shores.
It is particularly poignant to be marking the International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers during the year of the 70th anniversary of the United Nations. The United Nations rose from the ashes of the Second World War and was a pledge by those countries to play their part to ensure no country anywhere had to experience the horrors of that war again.
The United Kingdom is proud to support the ongoing work of the United Nations and its peacekeepers, and recognises the vital importance of the UN in maintaining international peace and security across our world.
Further information
- Find out more about the International Day of Peacekeepers here
- As part of marking the day, Baroness Anelay last week laid a wreath as part of a ceremony at the Cenotaph to commemorate those who have lost their lives whilst serving in United Nations peacekeeping missions around the world.
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