UNA-UK is delighted to announce two events to commemorate International Day of UN Peacekeepers on 24 May.
Peacekeepers' Day conference
This year’s keynote speaker will be Major General (rtd) Patrick Cammaert, former Force Commander of the UN Mission to Ethiopia and Eritrea and the author of the Independent Special Investigation into the violence in Juba 2016. He will deliver the Folke Bernadotte Memorial Lecture at this year's conference to mark the International Day of UN Peacekeepers 2017.
Registration
The conference fee of £20, with a special rate of £10 for students, includes related documents, morning refreshments and lunch. The conference will take place at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), Whitehall, London, SW1A 2ET.
This annual conference, jointly organised by UNA-UK, UNA-Westminster and RUSI, is the UK’s most authoritative public review of UN peacekeeping activities. It brings together UN practitioners, diplomats, military and the public for an expert discussion of the most pressing issues in peacekeeping today.
Following the United Kingdom’s decision to leave the EU, and the emphasis the Government has subsequently placed on maintaining a “Global Britain”, it is important that the UK plays a leading role in driving peace operations forward. It is therefore timely that we examine peacekeeping more closely – its strengths, its weaknesses and the prospects for reform.
The agenda features peacekeeping experts and practitioners from around the world, including Hilde F.Johnson, former Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General and Head of the UN Mission in South Sudan; Nicola Dahrendorf, former Senior Adviser on Sexual Exploitation and Abuse and Chief of the UN’s Conduct and Discipline Team in the Central African Republic; General Sir Gordon Messenger, Vice Chief of the Defence Staff and Ministry of Defence Gender Champion; and HRH Princess Tessy of Luxembourg, UNA-UK Patron and a former UN peacekeeper.
Peacekeepers' Day memorial
UNA-UK and UNA-Westminster are also organising our annual memorial ceremony at the Cenotaph inn Whitehall, in remembrance of peacekeepers who have lost their lives in the service of global peace.
Members of the diplomatic corps will be joined by UK Government officials and UN veterans to lay wreaths and pay their respects to the 3,549 peacekeepers who have lost their lives while deployed with the UN. The ceremony is free and open to the public; it will start at 1pm.
No registration is necessary for the Cenotaph memorial. If you are an Embassy or High Commission seeking to participate in the ceremony, please contact Jisu Lee, peacekeepersday@una.org.uk, 020 7766 3446.
