To mark the International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers, a commemorative event was co-hosted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and COMSATS Institute of Information Technology Friday at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. A minute of silence was observed in honour of the peacekeepers who had sacrificed their lives while implementing their mandates and to pay tribute to those who had served and continued to serve in peacekeeping operations.
In his inaugural remarks, Foreign Secretary Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry, recalled meritorious services rendered by international peacekeepers to promote the cause of international peace and security. He particularly mentioned the contribution of Pakistani peacekeepers who had always acquitted themselves with professionalism, dedication and distinction, serving under the UN flag. He expressed hope that the UN Secretary General's Strategic Review of the UN Peacekeeping Operations will take into account the perspective of all stakeholders and help retain the political consensus on this vital tool for international peace and security.
In his keynote address, the Adviser to the Prime Minister on National Security and Foreign Affairs, Sartaj Aziz emphasised the need for upholding the accepted principles of UN peacekeeping and ensuring a greater role of the troops and police contributing countries in the mandate formulation as well as in decisions related to transition and draw-down of the UN peacekeeping missions. He added that the United Nations should invest more political capital and resources in preventive diplomacy and reconciliation processes to stem eruption of conflicts in the first place.-PR
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