Today is International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers
29 May is the International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers.
It was so designated by United Nations General Assembly Resolution 57/129, on December 11, 2002, after an official request of the Ukrainian Peacekeepers Association and the Government of Ukraine to the UN General Assembly and first celebrated in 2003. The date, 29 May, marks the anniversary of the creation of the United Nations Truce Supervision Organization (UNTSO) in 1948 to monitor the ceasefire after the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, which was the first ever UN peacekeeping mission.
The day was established to honor the memory of the UN peacekeepers who have lost their lives in the cause of peace; pay tribute to all the men and women who have served and continue to serve in UN peacekeeping operations for their high level of professionalism, dedication and courage.
On 29 May, UN offices, alongside Member States and non-governmental organizations, hold events to honor fallen peacekeepers. Since the first UN peacekeeping mission was established in 1948 until April 2015, 3,358 military, police and civilian personnel have lost their lives in the service of peace as a result of acts of violence, accidents and disease.