Ghana joined several countries across the world to observe the 77th United Nations Peace Keepers’ Day to honour and express solidarity with peacekeepers across the globe who lost their lives in the line of duty.
The United Nations Peace Keepers’ Day is observed on May 29 annually for over 3,900 peace keepers who lost their lives under the UN flag since the establishment of the first peacekeeping operation in 1948.
Speaking at an event held at the forecourt of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration to mark the day in Accra yesterday, the Deputy Minister of Defence, Kofi Amankwa-Manu said, since the inception of peacekeeping across the globe, over 4,000 Ghanaians have laid down their lives in the cause of global peace and security, which include 147 men and women from Ghana.
He noted that despite the current unpredictable security situation in the sub-region, Ghana will continue to support the United Nations peacekeeping operations.
“To buttress our commitment to international peace, Ghana recently deployed a mechanised infantry battalion made up of 570 troops, and a level two hospital made up of 67 troops to the United Nations Interim Stabilisation Force in Abyei in Sudan, in addition to the troops we already have in UNIFIL in Lebanon, South Sudan and Mali.”
Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Thomas Mbomba, on his part urged the UN peacekeeping operations to strive to meet the emerging challenges and adapt to the volatile environments in which operations were undertaken.
Charles Abani, UN Resident Coordinator, also commended Ghana for the major role she played in UN peacekeeping, which has led to the stability of many parts of the world.
He added, “I acknowledge Ghana’s consistent role in UN peacekeeping. As the 9th largest contributor of uniformed personnel to UN peacekeeping, Ghana currently deploys nearly 2,600 military and police personnel to UN peace operations in Abyei, the Central African Republic, Cyprus, DR Congo, Lebanon, Mali, among several others.”
Mr. Abani further mentioned that peacekeeping has moved from deploying troops to countries, but rather “partnering with relevant stakeholders and communities to build capacity to address root causes of conflict.”
The local theme for the commemoration was: “Partnering for peace and progress for all people.”
By Ebenezer K. Amponsah