On 20 May, diplomats and organisations gathered for a conference and memorial event in honour of UN peacekeepers, organised by UNA-UK in partnership with the Royal United Services Institite and UNA Westminster.
The International Day of UN Peacekeepers, celebrated on 29 May, provides a rare opportunity to give thanks and honour the global service of peacekeepers across the globe.
During the conference, a panel of international experts and practitioners considered how industrialised states benefit from participating in UN peacekeeping. Panelists from the UK, France, US and the Netherlands considered the international responsibilities of Western states and the mutual benefits to be gained from contributing personnel to UN peace operations.
The keynote speech - named in memory of Count Folke Bernadotte, the first mediator to be assassinated while on a UN mission - was delivered by Major General (rtd) Robert Gordon. In his speech, he provided a comprehensive analysis of the evolution of UN missions since the 1990s and outlined some of the challenges of the multidimensional approach to peacekeeeping. Major General Gordon stressed the importance of improving the selection and training of senior leadership in UN missions in order to better confront these challenges.
The conference was followed by a memorial service at the Cenotaph on Whitehall. Over 100 representatives from diplomatic missions across the world came to lay a wreath in remembrance of those who have lost their lives in the service of peace since UN peace operations began in 1948.
The UK Government was represented by the Rt Hon Baroness Anelay, Minister of State for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, while Major General John Paterson laid the wreath on behalf of the UK Armed Forces.
David Wardrop, Chairman of UNA Westminster, addressed those at the ceremony:
"We look forward to the day when we in this country have a memorial to them as do other nations; a memorial that recognises the sacrifices of all peacekeepers from wherever they came. For when each of these died, we might have lost one of our own."
In this vein, UNA-UK has launched a petition calling for the Government to provide formal recognition of UN peacekeepers, whose vital work is often ignored when they return to their home countries. Click here to join the call.
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