New York: The United Nations honoured 129 military, police, and civilian personnel from 44 countries, including two Pakistani peacekeepers, who lost their lives while serving in peacekeeping operations during 2020.
The ceremony was conducted virtually given the present coronavirus situation.
The ceremony, presided over by Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, marked the annual International Day of UN Peacekeepers in which the Dag Hammarskjöld Medal was awarded posthumously to the peacekeepers, who made the ultimate sacrifice for the cause of peace, during the preceding year.
Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Munir Akram, accepted the awards on behalf of the families of the fallen Pakistani peacekeepers — Sepoy Muhammad Azhar Aziz who served with the United Nations Organization Stabilisation Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) and Imtiaz Hussain who served in a civilian capacity for the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilisation Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA).
“I feel deeply honoured and proud on receiving these awards on behalf of two Pakistani peacekeepers who lost their lives in the service of the United Nations during 2020,” Ambassador Akram said.
“Through their ultimate sacrifice, the late Imtiaz Hussain and Sepoy Azhar Aziz upheld the longstanding tradition of honour, courage, and dedication of Pakistani peacekeepers,” he maintained.
“Their singular contribution also manifests Pakistan’s unwavering commitment to international peace and stability.
“We salute these brave sons of Pakistan, and commit to keeping their legacy,” Ambassador Akram added.
A total of 157 Pakistani peacekeepers have lost their lives while serving under the UN flag over the years, according to the UN.
Pakistan is the 6th largest contributor of uniformed personnel to UN Peacekeeping, currently deploying more than 4,700 military and police personnel to the UN peace operations in Abyei, the Central African Republic, Cyprus, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Mali, Somalia, Sudan, South Sudan, and Western Sahara.
‘2020 Military Gender Advocate of the Year Award’
During the ceremony, the Secretary-General also awarded the ‘2020 Military Gender Advocate of the Year Award’ to Major Steplyne Buyaki Nyaboga a Kenyan military officer who served with the African Union-United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur, (UNAMID).
Created in 2016, the Award “recognizes the dedication and effort of an individual peacekeeper in promoting the principles of UN Security Resolution 1325 on women, peace, and security.”
Earlier, the UN chief laid a wreath to honour the more than 4,000 UN peacekeepers who have lost their lives since 1948.
Addressing the solemn ceremony, the secretary-general spoke of the “immense” challenges and threats faced by UN peacekeepers, saying they work hard every day to protect some of the world’s most vulnerable while facing the dual threats of violence and a global pandemic.
“Despite COVID-19, across all our missions, peacekeepers have not only been adapting to continue to deliver their core tasks, but they are also assisting national and community efforts to fight the virus,” Guterres said. AFP
