One lakh peacekeepers engaged in peacekeeping operations

October 24, 1945 United Nations was established with the signing of 50 countries on the Charter of the United Nations, which is an international organization that, since its inception, has been working for world peace as well as human rights, international security, economic development, social Has been working to facilitate progress and international laws. It was established by the victorious countries of the Second World War with the aim that the intervention of the United Nations in matters of international conflict should not lead to a World War-like situation again in the future. These countries included America, UK, France, Russia etc. powerful countries of the world. The founders of the United Nations hoped that they would be able to stop the war forever through this, but during the Cold War from 1945 to 1991, due to the division of the world into opposing parts, it became very difficult to maintain the peacekeeping union.

The first UN peacekeeping mission was established by the United Nations on 29 May 1948. At that time peacekeeping troops were deployed there by the UN to remove the unrest between Israel and Arab countries. 71 peacekeeping missions were established by the United Nations in Africa, America, Asia, Europe and the Middle East. Peacekeepers of the United Nations play an important role in restoring peace around the world, who have been working in the most difficult situations by putting their lives at stake and currently more than one lakh men and women are working as peacekeepers of the UN. Engaged in peacekeeping operations, in addition to about 96,000 soldiers and police forces in various countries, about 15,000 civilians and thousands of volunteers are involved in UN peacekeeping missions. Ethiopia and Bangladesh have the largest number of peacekeepers in UN peacekeeping missions and India is the second largest contributor after these two countries. At present, more than 7,000 Indian military and police personnel are deployed in UN peacekeeping missions in Afghanistan, Congo, Haiti, Lebanon, Liberia, the Middle East, Cyprus, South Sudan, West Asia and Western Sahara. As far as India’s role in UN peacekeeping missions is concerned, firstly during the Korean War which lasted from November 1950 to July 1954, 17 officers, 9 Junior Commissioned Officers (JCOs) and 300 soldiers were deployed in this mission from India. Were. India was also the country that sent an armed contingent to the United Nations Emergency Force between 1956 and 1967.

During that period, 393 officers, 470 JCOs and 12383 men joined the UN mission from India. Six Canberra bomber aircraft of the Indian Air Force were also deployed in the USOC Congo mission from 1960 to 1964, in which 467 officers, 401 JCOs and 11354 men took part and 39 soldiers lost their lives in that mission. India monitored the ceasefire in Cambodia from 1992 to 1993 and also helped Cambodia during elections. During that time, 1373 soldiers were deployed in this UN mission from India. For the first time in the year 2002, for the protection of common citizens, ‘Peacekeeping Mission’ was empowered by the United Nations General Assembly and 29 May was designated as ‘Peacekeeper Day’, since then every year on this day, ‘United Nations Peacekeeping Mission’ is celebrated. Mump is being celebrated as ‘Guards Day’. The United Nations does not have an independent army of its own and every act of peacekeeping is approved by the Security Council.

Participation in UN peacekeeping operations is optional, and Canada and Portugal are the only two countries in the world to have participated in every peacekeeping operation. Peacekeeping contingents are provided to the United Nations by its member states, often sent to areas where violence has ceased for some time, in order to keep violence in check while keeping the terms of the peacekeeping force in place. The UN peacekeeping mission is celebrating its 75th anniversary this year. In the last 75 years of UN peacekeeping missions, where more than 4000 peacekeepers from all over the world have sacrificed their lives, the number of peacekeepers martyred in India is about 170, which is the highest in comparison to any other country. Is. In the year 2017, no peacekeeper from India had to sacrifice his life in any UN peacekeeping operation. International United Nations Peacekeepers Day is celebrated in honor of the memory of UN peacekeepers who have sacrificed their lives for the cause of global peace.

On this day, tribute is paid to peacekeepers who have lost their lives while demonstrating their high level of professionalism, dedication and courage in UN peacekeeping operations. The Dag Hammarskjold Medal is awarded posthumously to peacekeepers. This medal is given for indomitable courage and sacrifice in the line of duty. The honor was established in 2000 in memory of Dag Hammarskjöld, the second Secretary-General of the United Nations, who died in a plane crash in 1961. Peacekeepers take great risks every day to protect men, women and children from violence in different countries.

(The writer is a senior journalist active in journalism for 33 years)

Yogesh Kumar Goyal