The

UN wasnt created to take mankind into paradise, but rather, to save humanity from hell. - Dag Hammarskjld

Vol. III, No. 21, 29 May 2015

United Nations Peacekeepers Day: Remembering the

global warriors

The Quintessential Peacekeeper
Ralph Bunche, the first Under Secretary General of the UN had claimed that the UN existed
not merely to preserve the peace but also to make change - even radical change - possible
without violent upheaval. The UN has no vested interest in the status quo. It seeks a more
secure world, a better world, a world of progress for all peoples. Peacekeepers have played
a crucial part in ensuring that all peoples must have equality and equal rights, the core
objectives of the UN. There are 16 UN peacekeeping missions in four continents with
UNAMID in Darfur, the second largest mission with 16, 815 peacekeepers. There are 193 member states of the
UN, who contribute to the budget of USD 8.47 billion per annum, less than 0.4% of world military spending. A total
of 123, 560 field personnel from 120 countries are presently serving the humanity in police and military uniform
with blue beret. Indian contributions have been amongst the top three or four nations. The present peacekeeping
operations directly affect the lives of 125 million in 16 mission areas. 29 May is the International Day of United
Nations Peacekeepers and the day has two purposes; to honour the memory of the UN peacekeepers who have
lost their lives in the cause of peace; and to pay tribute to all the men and women who have served and continue
to serve in UN peacekeeping operations for their high level of professionalism, dedication and courage. The date,
29 May marks the anniversary of the creation of the UN Truce Supervision Organization (UNTSO) in 1948 to
monitor the ceasefire after the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, which was the first ever UN peacekeeping mission. A total
of 3,326 military, police and civilian personnel have died in various operations. In 1988, the Nobel Committee
awarded Nobel Peace Prize to the Peacekeeping Force, because The peacekeeping forces of the UN have, under
extremely difficult conditions, contributed to reducing tensions where an armistice has been negotiated but a
peace treaty has yet to be established

Indias Contributions
India is fully committed to assist the UN in the maintenance of international peace and
security with a proud history of UN peacekeeping dating back to its inception in the
1950s. India has contributed nearly 180,000 troops, the largest number from any
country, participated in more than 44 missions and 156 Indian peacekeepers have made
the supreme sacrifice while serving in UN missions. India has also provided and
continues to provide eminent Force Commanders for UN Missions. In 2015 India
remains the second largest troop contributor with over 8000 personnel deployed with 12 UN Peacekeeping
Missions of which 991 are police personnel, including the first Female Formed Police Unit under the UN. The high
standards of performance maintained consistently by the Indian troops and policemen deployed on UN Missions
under challenging circumstances have won them high regard worldwide.

Written by: - Dr. K.K.Sharma,

Professor & HoD BBA/B.Com
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