The world marks the International Day of United Nations peacekeepers

To honor the United Nations (UN) Peacekeepers who gave their lives in the cause of peace and to pay tribute to all the fine men and women who have served and continue to serve in UN Peacekeeping operations, today is celebrated as International Day of UN Peacekeepers worldwide. The day was designated pursuant to UN General Assembly resolution 57/129 dated December 11, 2002.

UN Peacekeeping efforts are anchored on three basic principles: Consent of the parties engaged in impartiality, and non-use of force except in self-defense and defense of mandate. Troops and police from around the globe are integrated with civilian peacekeepers to advance multidimensional mandates.

The first UN peacekeeping mission was established in 1948, when the Security Council authorized the deployment of UN military observers to the Middle East to monitor the Armistice Agreement between Israel and its Arab neighbors. Since then, the number of peacekeeping operations worldwide has grown to 67. Amidst changing landscapes of international political and social dynamics, peacekeeping continues to adapt to new challenges and political realities.

As the world marks the 2012 International Day of UN Peacekeepers, most of these courageous and committed men and women are in the field, fulfilling their roles as military observers, trainers, disarmament experts, civilian police, civil administrators, judges and prosecutors, economists, and human rights and humanitarian workers. There are others who perform more traditional peacekeeping functions of monitoring ceasefires and buffer zones.