Top UN officials favour India’s plan for memorial to fallen peacekeepers

UNITED NATIONS: Top United Nations officials have voiced support for India’s initiative to establish a memorial wall honouring the fallen UN peacekeepers as they lauded the country’s role and contributions to the world body’s peacekeeping missions across the globe.

The International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers was commemorated here Thursday with solemn ceremonies, including a wreath laid by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres at the Peacekeepers Memorial to honour the women and men who sacrificed their lives while serving under the UN flag.

Guterres also presided over a ceremony in the General Assembly Hall at which the Dag Hammarskjold Medals were awarded posthumously to 103 military, police, and civilian peacekeepers, who were killed in the line of duty last year, including three Indian personnel.

Border Security Force personnel Head Constables Shishupal Singh and Sanwala Ram Vishnoi, who both served with the Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) and Shaber Taher Ali who served in a civilian capacity with the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) were honoured with the Dag Hammarskjold Medal at the solemn ceremony.

India’s Permanent Representative at the UN Ambassador Ruchira Kamboj received the medal from the Secretary-General.

At a reception hosted by the Permanent Mission of India on Peacekeepers Day, Kamboj said “We are collectively working towards installing a Peacekeeping Memorial Wall with all names inscribed of our fallen heroes.” She called on UN Member States to collectively join in co-sponsoring the resolution for the memorial wall that is expected to be put up for adoption in the General Assembly soon.