International Day of Peacekeepers marked: two Pakistanis decorated posthumously

The United Nations on Thursday celebrated the dedication and courage of the men and women who play a role in the cause of peace around the world, while honouring at a ceremony the sacrifices of 106 peacekeepers, including two Pakistanis, who paid the ultimate price in that service.
The solemn ceremony marked the annual International Day of Peacekeepers at which tributes were paid to nearly 85,000 military personnel, 12,000 police officers as well as 17,000 international civilian and national staff on four continents, doing everything from clearing landmines and delivering aid to helping refugees and supporting free and fair elections.
Pakistan is one the largest contributors to UN peacekeeping missions around the world, with more than 8,000 military and police personnel serving in the UN operations in Ivory coast, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Haiti, Kosovo, Liberia, Sudan and Western Sahara. Ambassador Sahebzada Ahmed Khan, Pakistan's deputy permanent representative to the UN, received the medals for the fallen Pakistan Army soldiers - Subedar Tanveer Hussain (MONUSCO - Democratic Republic of Congo) and Major Kamran Khalil (UNMIL - Liberia).
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon paid tributes to the men and women in UN peacekeeping operations, saying he envisioned a modern, global force that can effectively tackle emerging peace and security challenges. "We mourn the passing of every one of these courageous individuals. We grieve with their friends and families and we recommit ourselves to ensure that their contributions to the cause of peace will never be forgotten," declared the Secretary-General in his message for the Day. At UN Headquarters in New York, Ban also presided over a wreath-laying ceremony in honour of all peacekeepers, who lost their lives last year.
In his message, the UN chief noted that today, more than 116,000 UN personnel from more than 120 countries serve in 16 peacekeeping operations. "At great personal risk, these military, police and civilian personnel help stabilise communities, protect civilians, promote the rule of law and advance human rights."
UN peacekeeping is modernising to ensure that it can tackle tomorrow's peace and security challenges. It is deploying new technologies such as unarmed, unmanned aerial vehicles, refining its practices to better protect civilians, and boosting the representation of women among its ranks while strengthening its partnerships with regional organisations.
"The United Nations is improving logistics and administrative practices, strengthening infrastructure and taking other steps to harness the power of our personnel," said Mr Ban, adding: "Our goal is to ensure that peacekeeping is a cost effective, valuable investment that brings enormous benefits and, above all, saves lives." He added that over the past year, the Security Council established two peacekeeping operations in Mali and in the Central African Republic again highlighting its trust in UN peacekeepers to take on tough challenges.
In addition, the UN mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, known as MONUSCO, helped the Government defeat the M23 rebels that had preyed on civilians in the country's east. In South Sudan, for the first time in UN peacekeeping history, the mission there systematically opened the gates of its bases to tens of thousands of civilians, saving their lives and protecting them from either Government or opposition forces, he said, while also highlighting another first: "In an historic breakthrough, a woman was named the first female Force Commander of a UN peacekeeping operation."