UN ‘Peacekeepers Day’ honors 4,300 lives lost in Africa and around the world

The global community commemorates this May 29 the International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers to honor the remarkable uniformed and civilian personnel who have served in UN peacekeeping missions. This special day pays tribute to their dedication, professionalism, and bravery, while also remembering those who have made the ultimate sacrifice in the pursuit of peace. Today, on the 76th anniversary of the UN peacekeeping mission, the United Nations commemorates it under the theme: “Fit for the Future, Building Better Together,” which embodies the supreme commitment to progress and collaboration for a more equitable and sustainable world for all.

On this occasion, the United Nations chief has hailed the efforts of the about 76,000 UN peacekeepers who take a great personal risk to maintain peace in strife-torn areas across the world, including many of them in conflict zones around the African continent.

The UN Secretary-General António Guterres paid tribute to UN peacekeepers “who embody humanity’s highest ideal: peace. Hailing from over 120 countries, our Blue Helmets serve in 11 peace operations in conflict-affected areas in Africa, Asia, Europe and the Middle East.”

The so-called Blue Helmets help countries torn by conflicts create conditions for lasting peace, operating under strict guidelines and are often unable to stabilize volatile situations or even protect civilians.

“More than 4,300 have paid the ultimate price while serving under the UN flag. We will never forget them. In order for our peacekeepers to respond to the challenges of today and tomorrow, they need the world’s support,” said Guterres.
They are part of a 75-year-long tradition, UN peacekeepers have supported communities rocked by conflict and upheaval across 71 missions, Guterres noted. On the African continent, UN peacekeepers have been deployed in such diverse conflict-torn places as South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Mali, and Central African Republic (CAR).

Although the UN troops strive for peace in the countries they serve, they have clashed with some administrations in Africa and have also been criticized for achieving little. In October 2023, UN soldiers evacuated their camp in Mali’s volatile north amid jihadist and separatist fighting after being ordered by the country’s junta to leave, saying the peacekeepers had failed. In April 2024, UN peacekeepers also ceased operations in Congo’s restive South Kivu province after a more than 20-year presence.

Peacekeeping has evolved and undergone many transformations since the first peacekeeping missions of the 1950’s. The scope and range of related activities were relatively narrow. With one exception (ONUC, 1960-64), UN peacekeeping forces were utilized to monitor borders and establish buffer zones following cease-fire agreements. But over time, the objective has undergone the transformation from monitoring peace towards actually maintaining the peace. With this broader range of objectives, UN operations promptly became multifunctional, and the multiplicity of tasks expanded to include security, humanitarian, political and socioeconomic objectives, with an eye towards achieving more comprehensive and lasting responses.

Faced with this reality and given such diversity, it became critical to develop a new multidimensional approach to ensure unity of effort. Peacekeeping now combines various fields of expertise and brings together administrators, economists, military, police officers, legal experts, deminers, electoral observers, human rights monitors, specialists in civil affairs and governance, humanitarian workers, experts in communications and public information, etc. Thus, an important partnership is reflected in the composition of all UN peacekeeping operations.

Furthermore, a broader array of peacekeepers undertakes a wider variety of demanding tasks and plays a pivotal role in helping countries transition from conflict to peace. For instance, they preserve ceasefires, facilitate political processes, mediate local conflicts, protect civilians, promote human rights, coordinate elections, disarm, demobilize and reintegrate former combatants, while reforming the security sector and supporting rebuilding institutions and societies within the framework of today’s multidimensional peacekeeping objectives. UN peacekeepers are also on the frontlines of climate-related crises–hoping to mitigate climate change–which has been proven to have a devastating impact on countless communities.

Peacekeeping operations are deployed by UNSC mandates, acquire their troops and security forces from Member States’ contributions, are conducted by the Department of Peace Operations (DPO), and are supported by the Department of Operational Support (DOS) at UN Headquarters in New York. Currently, 11 peacekeeping operations are led by the DPO in a more challenging political and security environment. In this respect, UN Peacekeeping has constantly adapted to meet the demands of different conflicts and a changing political landscape. At present, the initiative “Action for Peacekeeping” (A4P), launched in 2018, remains the core agenda of UN Peacekeeping that is aimed at enabling the UN to be in tune with the multidimensional challenges facing peacekeeping operations today.

Furthermore, the A4P+ came to focus on key priorities and to address the urgent challenges facing UN peacekeeping to promote long-term stability. In this context, the UN Secretary-General António Guterres emphasizes, “A4P+ aims to enhance the safety, security and well-being of the UN personnel, while increasing the participation and expanding the role of women in UN missions.” On this basis and in accordance with the High Royal Instructions, the Kingdom of Morocco provides unwavering support to various initiatives conducted by the UN Secretary General, in particular the UN “A4P.”

Thus, embracing the ideals of the UN Charter, the Kingdom of Morocco has contributed since 1960 to 14 Peacekeeping Operations mandated by the UN Security Council, and more than 80,000 Moroccans have served as peacekeepers. Morocco has also established 17 military field hospitals in 14 countries, providing over 2,650,000 medical services to locals and refugees. Today Morocco is among the ten largest troop-contributing nations to the UN, by deploying about 1,700 Blue Helmets in the Central African Republic and the Democratic Republic of the Congo in line with the efforts of the United Nations to restore security and peace in these two brotherly countries.

On this anniversary of Peacekeepers, it is significant to recall the outstanding contribution of Morocco to United Nations peacekeeping operations: in Congo (UNOC), Somalia (UNOSOM-UNITAF-UNOSOM II), Haiti (MINUSTAH), Côte d’Ivoire (UNOCI), Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUC – MONUSCO) and Central African Republic (BINUCA-MINUSCA). In addition, it is important to praise the civilian, police, and military personnel who have served and are serving under UN flag with dedication and valor to ensure the promotion of peace worldwide. Furthermore, this memorable day is an opportunity to mark the sacrifices of over 60 Moroccans who made the supreme sacrifice while serving in UN missions.