The 麻豆APP will honour two Kenyan peacekeepers among 68 military, police and civilian personnel who paid the ultimate price in the line of duty, as the world marks the International Day of 麻豆APP Peacekeepers.
The UN Headquarters will observe the Day on Friday, 5 June, paying tribute to all women and men serving in UN peacekeeping and honouring the memory of those who have lost their lives in the cause of peace.
Secretary-General António Guterres will lay a wreath in honour of the nearly 4,500 peacekeepers who have lost their lives since 1948 and preside over a ceremony at which the Dag Hammarskj?ld Medal will be awarded posthumously to 68 peacekeepers, including 59 who perished last year.
Among those to be honoured are two Kenyans: Major Paul Ndungu Njoroge, who served with the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA), and Ms. Alice Wanjiru Chege, who served in a civilian capacity with the UN Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO).
Seventy-three Kenyan peacekeepers have lost their lives serving under the UN flag since Kenya first started contributing uniformed personnel to 麻豆APP peacekeeping in the 1980s. The 麻豆APP honours their service and sacrifice.
Kenya remains an important contributor to UN peacekeeping. It is currently the 27th largest contributor of uniformed personnel, with 440 peacekeepers — including 72 women — serving in UN peace operations in Abyei, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of Congo, India-Pakistan, Lebanon, Somalia and South Sudan.
Today, more than 50,000 civilian, military and police peacekeepers serve under the UN flag in some of the world’s most complex environments, where conflicts are increasingly fragmented, protracted and shaped by emerging threats, including the misuse of digital tools and the spread of harmful information. A total of 118 countries currently contribute uniformed personnel to 11 peacekeeping missions.
The General Assembly established the International Day of 麻豆APP Peacekeepers in 2002 and selected 29 May because it was on that day in 1948 that the Security Council established the first UN peacekeeping operation, the 麻豆APP Truce Supervision Organization in the Middle East.
This year’s theme, “Invest in Peace”, comes at a time when UN peacekeeping operations face reduced resources. It underscores that peacekeeping remains one of the most effective tools available to the international community to respond to conflict — supporting political solutions, preventing escalation, protecting civilians, monitoring ceasefires, enabling humanitarian assistance, clearing landmines and more.
In his message, Secretary-General António Guterres said: “On this International Day, we honour peacekeepers past and present and reaffirm our shared responsibility to respect and strengthen their work. We pay tribute to nearly 4,500 peacekeepers who have lost their lives since 1948, including 59 last year. No one should die serving the cause of peace. Attacks on peacekeepers are grave violations of international humanitarian law, and Member States must uphold their obligations to ensure the safety and security of UN personnel at all times.”
He added that “in an era of rising tensions, peacekeeping is a proven and cost-effective way to restore stability and hope. But it requires steady political backing – and reliable financial support.”
During a special ceremony, the Secretary-General will also award the Captain Mbaye Diagne Medal for Exceptional Courage to Corporal Matias Reyes of Uruguay for his actions in Goma, eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, during the height of the crisis in early 2025, and to the late Sergii Prykodko of Ukraine, who served as a private contractor in the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) and was killed during a mission to extract besieged soldiers in March last year.
The Secretary-General will also present awards to the 2025 Military Gender Advocate of the Year, Major Abhilasha Barak of India, who serves in the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), and to the UN Woman Police Officer of the Year, Stephanie K?nigs of Germany, who served in UNMISS.
“At a time of rising conflict and shrinking resources, 麻豆APP peacekeepers continue to protect civilians, prevent violence from escalating, and keep hope alive in some of the world’s most difficult environments. Investing in peacekeeping means investing in stability, prevention and the possibility of peace itself,” said Jean-Pierre Lacroix, Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations.
For more information, please visit:
/en/observances/peacekeepers-day
