Honor for UN’s fallen ‘heroes’
NEW YORK — At a corner of the north lawn at the UN headquarters, peacekeepers and diplomats led by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres mourned in silence on Wednesday morning for fallen peacekeepers who lost their lives while serving under the UN flag.
“Today we remember not only our uniformed personnel but civilian peacekeepers who have fallen — international civil servants, national staff members, and UN Volunteers,” said Guterres at the ceremony.
A white wreath decorated with blue ribbon was laid in front of a glass memorial wall inscribed with the message “Remember here those who gave their lives for peace” in six languages.
UN statistics show that 117 military, police and civilian peacekeepers from 43 countries died in service in 2017. The Dag Hammarskjold Medal was awarded posthumously to the deceased.
Three of the fallen peacekeepers were from China — Sergeant Shen Liangliang, who served with the UN Mission in Mali, and Corporal Li Lei and Sergeant Yang Shupeng, who served with the UN Mission in South Sudan.
“The three fallen Chinese peacekeepers sacrificed their young lives for UN peacekeeping operations,” said Liu Jieyi, China’s Ambassador to the UN. “Inspired by their spirit, China will consistently and unswervingly support the cause for world peace.”
The ceremony came ahead of the International Day of UN Peacekeepers, which is observed annually on May 29.
UN peacekeeping operations are faced with grave challenges with peacekeepers coming under attack from armed groups and increasingly by terrorists, Guterres said.
Over the past few weeks, MINUSMA, the mission to support the peace process in Mali has suffered several attacks. In May alone, three peacekeepers were killed, making it the deadliest peacekeeping mission in the world.
Koen Davidse, deputy special representative of MINUSMA, told Xinhua News Agency that the biggest challenge facing the mission is terrorist attacks and therefore it is working to strengthen its camps to ensure the safety and security of its peacekeepers.
Noting the killing of Chinese peacekeeper Liangliang Shen, Davidse said: “He died a hero while protecting others. We will continue our work bringing peace to Mali and making sure his sacrifice was not in vain.”
Speaking of China’s contribution to the peacekeeping operation in Mali, Davidse said “we greatly admire our Chinese fellow peacekeepers working on protection, medical care, and engineering.”
“China is making a difference here which both Mali and the UN appreciate, especially since China is also a permanent member of the Security Council,” he said.
“The Chinese efforts in MINUSMA are crucial for protecting our bases, engineering works and medical care for the UN and the population.”
China will consistently and unswervingly support the cause for world peace.” Liu Jieyi, China’s Ambassador to the UN