Ghana Observes International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers on 29 May

Ghana will observe the 76th International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers on Wednesday, 29 May 2024 with a flag-raising and wreath-laying ceremony. UN Headquarters will observe the Day on Thursday, 30 May 2024

In 1948, the historic decision was made to deploy military observers to the Middle East to supervise the implementation of Israel-Arab Armistice Agreements, in what became the United Nations Truce Supervision Organization. 

Since that time, more than two million peacekeepers from 125 countries have since served in 71 operations around the world. Today, some 76,000 women and men are serving in 11 conflict zones across Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Middle East.

Ghana is the 7th largest contributor of uniformed personnel to the UN Peacekeeping.  It currently deploys more than 2,600 military and police personnel to the UN peace operations in Abyei, the Central African Republic, Cyprus, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Lebanon, the Middle East, Somalia, South Sudan, Yemen and Western Sahara.

During formal ceremonies at UN Headquarters, Secretary-General, António Guterres, will lay a wreath to honour all UN peacekeepers who have lost their lives since 1948. He will also preside over a ceremony at which Dag Hammarskjöld Medals will be awarded posthumously to 64 military, police, and civilian peacekeepers, who lost their lives serving under the UN flag, including 61 who perished last year.

Among the peacekeepers to be honoured posthumously with the Dag Hammarskjold medal are five (5) from Ghana: SSGT Mensah Alex AMEYAW and WOII Ibrahim ABUBAKARI who both served with the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL); L/CPL Adjei Emmanuel NI ADDO who was deployed with (UNISFA); and civilian peacekeepers Mr. Michael Sowah and Mr. Jeduah Mahama Abudu who served respectively with the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) and the UN Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNSOM). 

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