The 125-member Pakistani police unit serving with the United Nations Stabilisation Mission in Haiti (Minustah), received the UN peacekeeping medal at a ceremony held at its base in Gonaives last week, the world body said on Monday.
The Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary General in Haiti, Hedi Annabi, the Force Commander of Minustah, Lieutenant General Carlos Alberto dos Santos Cruz and the Commissioner of the United Nations Police (UNPol) in Haiti, Mamadou Diallo, as well as local Haitian authorities attended the ceremony on January 13.
In his speech, the Special Representative of the Secretary General commended the work of Pakistani peacekeepers deployed in Gonaives. "When we were trying to mobilise funds for Haiti, you were the first to help the population. Without your support, the people of the country would have suffered much more," Annabi said, referring to the interventions of Pakistani peacekeepers after the deadly hurricanes struck the city in August and September 2008.
Indeed, following the hurricanes, Pakistani police provided substantial assistance to the population, according to a press release. The Pakistani peacekeepers helped with the emergency evacuation of 4,000 people, mostly women and children who lived in the most affected areas of the city. They also provided security for convoys carrying humanitarian aid, and also distributed 24,000 gallons of drinking water for approximately 35,000 people in Gonaives and the surrounding areas.