‘The true cost of peace’: UN honours fallen peacekeepers as dangers mount
The commemoration of the International Day of UN Peacekeepers came hours after another blue helmet serving with the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) died from injuries sustained in a mortar attack, as hostilities continue between Israeli troops and Hezbollah militants. The day began with UN Secretary-General António Guterres laying a wreath at the Peacekeepers Memorial on the Secretariat grounds in New York before presiding over a solemn ceremony in the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) attended by senior officials, the diplomatic community, and bereaved family members and colleagues.
UN Photo/Mark Garten
Secretary-General António Guterres attends the wreath laying ceremony in honour of fallen Peacekeepers at the Peacekeeping Memorial at UN Headquarters.
Service and sacrifice “Unfortunately, as events of this very week remind us, peacekeepers continue to face peril in the cause of peace – and we pay the highest tribute to their service and sacrifice,” he said.
