“Achieving Peace is a Goal for All” Ghana Marks 75th Anniversary of Peacekeepers Day

For these reasons, International Day of UN Peacekeepers is observed each year on May 29th to honor their selflessness and courage. The theme for this year’s celebration is “Peace Begins with Me” which seeks to honor peacekeepers, past and present, who have served and sacrificed their lives serving under the United Nations flag.

To mark this year’s 75th anniversary, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integrations, in partnership with other stakeholders, including the United Nations, held a commemoration ceremony at the forecourt of the State House.

Speaking at the ceremony, the United Nations Resident Coordinator, Mr. Charles Abani commended the tremendous contributions of Ghana and Ghanaian peacekeepers in peacekeeping missions. He said “Ghana has demonstrated unwavering commitment, providing troops, police officers, and civilian personnel to numerous operations across different continents. Out of the 122 contributing countries, Ghana ranks number 7 with 2756 peacekeepers as of February 2023”.

 He singled out and commended Captain Cecilia Erzuah of Ghana who served as a peacekeeper with the United Nations Interim Security Force in Abyei (UNISFA) and was awarded the 2022 United Nations Military Gender Advocate of the Year.

Mr. Abani also highlighted the efforts of United Nations and the strides that the UN has taken to strengthen and promote peacekeeping. He said “From the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara to the United Nations Truce Supervision Organization in the Middle East, the United Nations peacekeeping operations are a true testament to multilateralism at its best”

He further went on to thank Ghana for accepting to host the Peacekeeping Ministerial Conference for the first time in Africa later in December this year.

The Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Hon. Thomas Mbomba re- echoed the importance of the Peacekeeping Ministerial Conference as a momentous time for Ghana, and an opportunity to  bring together leaders, policymakers, and stakeholders from around the world to deliberate on the challenges and opportunities facing UN peacekeeping operations. “It will provide a platform to share experiences, exchange best practices, and strengthen partnerships in our collective pursuit of sustainable peace” he said.

Hon. Mbomba noted that Ghana supports the view that international peacekeeping must evolve to better respond to the dramatic changes in the nature and scale of armed conflict.  He stressed on the need to strengthen the centrality of the United Nations partnership with regional and sub-regional bodies such as the African Union and European Union.

Also speaking at the ceremony, the Deputy Minister for Defence, Hon Kofi Amankwa- Manu called on all stakeholders to reaffirm their commitment to the principles enshrined in the United Nations Charter. “Let us stand together in solidarity, pledging to support peacekeeping operations, provide the necessary resources, and empower our peacekeepers with the tools they need to carry out their vital missions” he stated.

The ceremony was climaxed with a flag raising, wreath laying and tree planting (tree of life) in honor of the fallen Peacekeepers.

In attendance for this year’s Peacekeepers Day were members of the Diplomatic Corps, Officials from the Ghana Armed Forces, Immigration, Police, Prison services, Stakeholders and students.

BACKGROUND

The General Assembly, in its resolution 57/129, designated 29 May as the International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers. This is the date when in 1948 the first UN peacekeeping mission named the "United Nations Truce Supervision Organization", or UNTSO, began operations in Palestine. On this day, we pay tribute to the professionalism, dedication and courage of all the men and women serving in UN peacekeeping operations and honor the memory of those who have lost their lives in the cause of peace.