News Excerpt:
Indian peacekeeper to be honoured posthumously with prestigious U.N. medal for sacrifice in line of duty, the Dag Hammarskjold medal during a solemn ceremony on May 30, when the UN commemorates the International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers.
More about the news:
- Naik Dhananjay Kumar Singh, an Indian peacekeeper who served with the UN Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUSCO) lost his life serving under the UN flag.
- He is among over 60 military, police and civilian peacekeepers to be honoured posthumously with a prestigious medal for their service and supreme sacrifice in the line of duty.
About UN Peacekeeping mission:
- The U.N. Peacekeeping mission is a joint effort between the Department of Peace Operations and the Department of Operational Support.
- It aims to assist host countries to transition from situations of conflict to peace.
- It began its Peacekeeping efforts in 1948 when it deployed military observers to West Asia.
- Its role was to monitor the Armistice Agreement between Israel and its Arab neighbours.
- It provides security, political and peacebuilding support to conflict-ridden countries.
- The three basic principles that guide U.N.’s Peacekeeping missions are:
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- Consent of the parties
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- Impartiality
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- Non-use of force except in self-defence and defence of the mandate.
- The International Day of UN Peacekeepers, marked on May 29, was established by the UN General Assembly in 2002, to pay tribute to all men and women serving in peacekeeping, and to honour the memory of those who have lost their lives in the cause of peace.
Responsibilities of U.N. military personnel:
- Protecting civilians and other U.N. personnel
- Monitoring disputed borders
- Observing peace processes in post-conflict areas
- Providing security in conflict zones
- Providing security during elections
- Assisting in-country military personnel with training and support
- Assisting ex-combatants in implementing the peace agreements
What is the United Nations Organisation Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) ?
- MONUSCO (acronym based on its French name) took over from a previous U.N. peacekeeping mission in the African country on July 1, 2010.
- MONUSCO aims to protect civilians, humanitarian personnel and human rights defenders from the imminent threat of physical violence and to support the government of the country in its stabilization and peace consolidation efforts.
- Pakistan tops the military contributors chart towards MONUSCO, while Senegal leads in police contributors (based on data from November 2021).
Contribution of India:
- India is the second largest contributor of uniformed personnel to UN Peacekeeping.
- Over 200,000 Indians have served in 49 U.N. Peacekeeping missions since 1948.
- Currently, 6,069 Indians are part of various U.N. Peacekeeping operations in Abyei, the Central African Republic, Cyprus, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Lebanon, the Middle East, Somalia, South Sudan, and Western Sahara.
- India is the second-highest military (1,817) and fifth-highest (139) police-contributing country to the MONUSCO.
- Nearly 180 Indian peacekeepers have made the supreme sacrifice in the line of duty, the highest number by far from any troop-contributing country.
- In 2007, India became the first country to deploy an all-women contingent to a U.N. Peacekeeping mission.
