The 15th International Day of UN Peacekeepers has been marked by a number of events in London. As part of the occasion, UK Armed Forces personnel were recognised for their efforts to support peacekeeping globally.
More than 100 UK Service personnel are among 3500 personnel from around the world who have died serving as UN peacekeepers since 1948, and they were remembered during a ceremony and wreath-laying at the Cenotaph.
Commander of Joint Forces Command General Sir Chris Deverell and Foreign Office Minister for Asia and Pacific Alok Sharma laid wreaths during the event.
The Band of the Welsh Guards performed at the wreath-laying, and the events also included a conference at the Royal United Services Institute for Defence and Security Studies (RUSI), opened by Vice Chief of the Defence Staff General Sir Gordon Messenger.
Over 690 UK military personnel are currently deployed in support of multiple UN peacekeeping missions, the majority in South Sudan, Cyprus and Somalia. The largest of these deployments, with nearly 400 British troops now deployed, is in South Sudan to support the UN’s mission in the country.
General Sir Chris Deverell said: “Today, on the International Day of UN Peacekeepers, we pay tribute to the 3500 personnel from over 120 countries who have died while serving the United Nations.
“When peacekeepers deploy they do so on behalf of the international community and in support of efforts by previously warring parties to find a path to peace. I am grateful to each person who deploys, and very proud that over 690 members of the UK Armed Forces are currently deployed as part of this effort.”
Images: © Crown Copyright
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