Page 2 - Un Peacekeeping

UNGA: Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov backs UNSC bid by India, Brazil

In 2022, Zelenskyy presented Ukraine's 10-point peace formula to world leaders at the G20 Summit in Indonesia's Bali

4 UN military observers wounded in explosion in Lebanon's southern border

Four United Nations military observers were wounded Saturday while patrolling the southern Lebanese border after a shell exploded near them, the U.N. peacekeeping mission in Lebanon said. The military observers are part of the United Nations Truce Supervision Organization, which supports the U.N. peacekeeping mission in southern Lebanon, UNIFIL. Local Lebanese media, citing security officials, said an Israeli drone strike targeted the observers in the southern village of Wadi Katmoun near the border town of Rmeich. Hezbollah-run television station Al-Manar said the drone strike wounded three officers from Australia, Chile, and Norway, as well as a Lebanese interpreter. The Israeli military on social media platform X, formerly Twitter, said: Contrary to the reports, the IDF did not strike a @UNIFIL vehicle in the area of Rmeish this morning. UNIFIL spokesperson Andrea Tenenti said they are investigating the origin of the explosion. The targeting of peacekeepers is unacceptable, Ten

India launches database to record crimes against UN peacekeepers

India has launched a new database designed to record crimes against UN peacekeepers and monitor progress in holding perpetrators accountable, India's UN envoy Ruchira Kamboj said on Thursday, asserting that New Delhi is at the forefront of advocating for accountability. The launch of the database was announced at a high-level meeting of the India-led 'Group of Friends' (GOF) on Tuesday. "Delighted to announce the launch of a new database designed to record crimes against Peacekeepers & monitor progress in holding perpetrators accountable. India is at the forefront of advocating for accountability, leading the Group of Friends dedicated to this cause," India's Permanent Representative to the UN, Kamboj, said in a post on X. The database is designed to serve as an online repository, empowering the Secretariat, Missions, and member states to monitor and address cases of malicious acts against peacekeepers, a press release by the Permanent Mission of India to the UN said. "This ...

World Peace And Understanding Day 2024: History, importance, wishes, quotes

World Peace and Understanding Day is celebrated to promote peace and goodwill across the world, and remind people of ways that can contribute to the world positively

India supported peacekeeping initiatives; very much count on it: UN

India, one of the leading troop and police-contributing countries, has steadily supported the UN's initiatives to improve peacekeeping operations and the world body counts on New Delhi as a major partner in peacekeeping, a top UN official has said. Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix highlighted technology, increasing the number and role of women in peacekeeping missions and accountability for crimes against the Blue Helmets as crucial areas of cooperation with India in an exclusive interview with PTI here ahead of the 2023 UN Peacekeeping Ministerial meeting. The Ministerial meeting is scheduled for December 5-6 in Accra, Ghana. It will bring together ministers and delegates from over 85 countries and international organisations to express their collective commitment to UN Peacekeeping, the UN said. "We very much count on India. India is one of the major partners to peacekeeping. It's one of the leading troop and police-contributing countries, but in ..

UN peacekeepers from 16 countries undergo military training in India

The Centre for United Nations Peacekeeping-India conducted a course for military officers of 16 friendly foreign countries and the Indian Army to enhance leadership skills, tactical thinking and operational effectiveness, according to a statement. The United Nations Pre-Deployment Course (Training of Trainers) was conducted under the aegis of the Indian Army from November 6-24, it said. The course, themed on the UN framework and designed as an empowering and collaborative training programme, was organised jointly in collaboration with the Ministry of External Affairs, a defence statement issued on Friday said. The event underscores India's commitment to fostering greater international cooperation in UN Peacekeeping Operations, it said. The course aimed at enhancing leadership skills, tactical thinking and operational effectiveness among officers, creating a platform for cross-cultural exchange and professional growth, the statement said. Participants engaged in a series of dynamic

Israel-Gaza war: Nations call for peaceful resolution; latest updates here

As the conflict between Israel and Gaza enters day 10, devastating humanitarian consequences emerge

PM Modi pays tributes to fallen UN peacekeepers at Wall of Peace

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday paid tributes to the fallen UN peacekeepers at the Wall of Peace at the UN headquarters here and asserted that their selfless service will never be forgotten. Modi was in New York to lead a yoga session celebrating the 9th International Day of Yoga at the UN headquarters. The prime minister is on an official state visit to the US at the invitation of President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden. Modi took to Twitter and said, "Humbled to pay my tributes at the Wall of Peace at the @UN HQ today. We honor and remember the brave peacekeepers who gave their lives for a more peaceful world. Their selfless service will never be forgotten." Earlier this month, the UN General Assembly adopted a draft resolution introduced by India to establish a memorial wall in the UN Headquarters to honour fallen peacekeepers. Modi, who was here on the first leg of his maiden state visit to the US, also paid respects to the bust of Mahatma Gandhi in the North L

Mali's top diplomat demands UN peacekeepers leave country after over 10 yrs

Mali's top diplomat demanded on Friday that UN peacekeepers who have been in this West African country grappling with an Islamic insurgency for more than a decade leave immediately, claiming they had failed in their mission. Foreign Minister Abdoulaye Diop made the request in a speech to the United Nations Security Council. He said the UN mission had not achieved its objectives and was sowing distrust among the people. Mali has struggled to contain an Islamic extremist insurgency since 2012. Extremist rebels were forced from power in Mali's northern cities the following year, with the help of a French-led military operation, but they regrouped in the desert and began launching attacks on the Malian army and its allies. The UN peacekeepers a contingent of more than 15,000 came in a few months later in what has become one of the most dangerous UN missions in the world. At least 170 peacekeepers have been killed in the country since 2013, according to the UN. The Malian government a

UN unanimously backs India's proposal for monument to honour peacekeepers

PM Modi formally made the proposal for the memorial in 2015 at the UN summit and offered to pay for it

India should be a permanent member on UN Security Council: Rajnath Singh

Rajnath Singh stated that the United Nations needed to be more democratic and representative of the realities of today while also calling for international cooperation with UN peacekeepers

Pakistan proud of its contribution to UN peacekeeping: Minister Hina Khar

Khar paid tribute to the services and sacrifices rendered by UN peacekeepers for advancing the shared goals of peace all over the world

Army marks 75th anniversary of UN peacekeepers day by paying homage

The army on Monday commemorated the 75th anniversary of the International Day of UN Peacekeepers by paying homage to the fallen soldiers at the National War Memorial here. Army Chief Gen Manoj Pande laid a wreath at the NWM located near the India Gate, officials said. The International Day of UN Peacekeepers observed on May 29 is an opportunity to recognise the service and sacrifice of the more than one million personnel who have served under the blue flag since 1948. It is also a chance to honour the memory of the more than 4,000 peacekeepers who lost their lives in the cause of peace, the UN peacekeeping website says. The first UN peacekeeping mission, 'UN Truce Supervision Organisation (UNTSO)' began operations in Palestine on this day in 1948, according to a statement issued by the Defence Ministry here. The Vice Chief of Indian Army and representatives from the navy and the air force, Ministry of External Affairs and United Nations also laid wreaths at the memorial, officials

UN peacekeeping forces report no Blue Line crossing amid Israeli claim

The Blue Line is a 120-kilometre line drawn by the United Nations between Lebanon and Israel in 2000 to verify the withdrawal of Israeli forces from southern Lebanon

Peacekeeping missions should not exist in perpetuity: India to UN

Observing that the security landscape of the UN peacekeeping missions today is more complex, violent and riskier, India has told the United Nations that such missions should not exist in perpetuity. Exit strategies should be part of the plans from the very beginning, India's Permanent Representative to the United Nations Ruchira Kamboj told the UN General Assembly's Special Committee on Peacekeeping Operations on Tuesday. "India believes that UN peacekeeping missions should not exist in perpetuity. Exit strategies should be part of the mission planning process from inception," Kamboj said at the UN headquarters in New York. Maintaining redundant missions for political expediency diverts essential resources from other crucial missions, she said, asserting, "It is high time we reviewed the need for continuing such missions." India has been at the forefront of UN peacekeeping missions for seven decades now. More than 2,60,000 Indians have worn the 'Blue Helmet' in 49 missions across t

India to deploy single largest platoon of women peacekeepers in Abyei

This is India's largest single unit of women peacekeepers in a UN Mission since it deployed the first-ever all-women's contingent in Liberia in 2007

United Nations extends Congo peacekeeping force with an eye to its exit

The Security Council has voted unanimously to extend the UN peacekeeping mission in Congo with an eye to its eventual exit, and to lift a notification requirement on some arms purchases which Congo's foreign minister recently called unjustified and humiliating. The separate resolutions were approved on Tuesday amid worsening security in Congo's mineral-rich east, a region rife with rebel groups and an upsurge in violence and civilian killings that has uprooted tens of thousands of its inhabitants. The resolution extending the U.N. peacekeeping force known as MONUSCO until Dec. 20, 2023, strongly condemns all domestic and foreign armed groups operating in the country and demands they immediately cease all violence and destabilizing actions and the illegal exploitation and trafficking of natural resources. It also demands the immediate withdrawal of M23 rebels, who have been fighting a coalition of armed civilian protection militias in the east for more than a year, as agreed at a ...

Two peacekeepers from Nigeria killed, 4 wounded in attack in Mali, says UN

Two UN peacekeepers from Nigeria were killed and four others wounded in an attack Friday on a peace patrol in the town of Timbuktu in northern Mali, the United Nations said. The UN Security Council said a member of Mali's security forces was also killed in the attack. UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said one of the peacekeepers killed was a woman. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and the Security Council strongly condemned the attack. The council stressed that involvement in planning, directing, sponsoring or conducting attacks targeting UN peacekeepers may constitute war crimes. Mali has been in turmoil since a 2012 uprising when mutinous soldiers overthrew the president. The power vacuum that resulted ultimately led to a jihadist insurgency and a French-led war that ousted the jihadists from power in 2013. Insurgents remain active in Mali and extremist groups affiliated with al-Qaida and the Islamic State group have moved from the arid north to more populated central Mali s

India to launch database on crimes against peacekeepers to fight impunity

Jaishankar said that the UN and the country where the peacekeepers serve have to ensure that they are safe and those attacking them are punished

India to send utility helicopter unit to UN peacekeeping mission in Mali

India will send a utility helicopter unit to the UN peacekeeping operations in Mali as several countries have withdrawn or announced plans to withdraw from the country, says a UN spokesperson