UN: Peacekeeping celebrates 60th anniversary

The United Nations will mark the sixtieth anniversary of United Nations Peacekeeping on Thursday, 29 May, the International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers.

Sixty years ago the United Nations Security Council established the first peacekeeping operation, the United Nations Truce Supervision Organization (UNTSO), based in the Middle East. In 2001, the General Assembly proclaimed 29 May as the International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers to pay tribute to the men and women who serve in United Nations peacekeeping operations and honour the memory of those who have lost their lives in the cause of peace.

?Peacekeeping has developed into a flagship enterprise of our Organization. Today we have more than 110,000 men and women deployed in conflict zones around the world. They come from nearly 120 countries – an all-time high, reflecting confidence in UN peacekeeping,? said United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in his message marking the occasion. ?They bring different cultures and experiences to the job, but they are united in their determination to foster peace.?

This year?s anniversary falls at a time of particularly high demand for UN peacekeeping ? currently more than 110,000 men and women are deployed in conflict zones worldwide. The uniformed personnel hail from 119 different countries, an all-time record.

Pakistan, Bangladesh, India, Nigeria and Nepal are the largest contributors of peacekeepers, together accounting for more than 40 per cent of all blue helmets. The biggest financial contributors are the European Union countries, Japan and the United States, and the total budget is now over $6.5 billion a year (4 billion euros).