Secretary-General Statements

Dag Hammarskjöld medal Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, Let us begin today’s ceremonies with a minute of silence in memory of all the peacekeepers that have lost their lives while serving under the UN flag.  [PAUSE FOR SILENCE] Thank you. The International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers inspires great pride and inspiration. On this day, the peacekeeping community, both at the headquarters and around the world, gathers to honour our heroes. 

New York Headquarters will observe the International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers on Thursday, 27 May.  Secretary-General António Guterres will lay a wreath to honour the more than 4,000 United Nations peacekeepers who have lost their lives since 1948 and preside over a ceremony at which the Dag Hammarskjöld Medal will be awarded posthumously to 129 military, police and civilian peacekeepers from 44 countries, who lost their lives serving under the United Nations flag in 2020 and in the first month of 2021.

Thank you for the opportunity to brief the Council on the important subject of addressing the root causes of conflict while promoting post-pandemic recovery in Africa. Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, I have warned of the risks it poses to people and societies around the world, especially in countries affected by conflict. The series of Policy Briefs I issued last year included one that focuses only on the impact of COVID-19 on Africa.   This was the backdrop to my appeal for a global ceasefire to enable us to focus on our common enemy: the virus.

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