New York, 23 November 2022- Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations, Jean-Pierre Lacroix, expressed his thanks for Armenia’s strong support to United Nations Peacekeeping and for the service and sacrifice of its military and police personnel deployed under the UN flag. Of the 193 UN Member States, Armenia is currently the 79th largest contributor of uniformed personnel to UN peace operations, with 32 peacekeepers, including three women, serving in the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL).
The first Armenian peacekeeper deployed to UNIFIL in February 2012. Armenia has been a constant contributor to the mission since November 2014, when its first contingent of 33 military personnel arrived in Lebanon.
Armenia previously also a deployed a limited number of peacekeepers to the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) for several years.
“Armenian men and women have served in complex UN peacekeeping environments and have demonstrated a high-level of professionalism and dedication. We are deeply grateful for their contribution to lasting peace and security,” said Mr. Lacroix.
Armenia also endorsed the Secretary-General’s ‘Action for Peacekeeping (A4P)’ initiative, which aims to strengthen peacekeeping through more targeted mandates, stronger and safer operations, better equipped and trained forces, and by mobilizing support for political solutions.
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Note to editors:
The UN's Department of Global Communications, in collaboration with the Department of Peace Operations, runs the international multi-year communications campaign titled 'UN Peacekeeping -- Service and Sacrifice.' The campaign expresses the world body's gratitude to the countries that contribute their uniformed men and women to serve in the peacekeeping missions. https://peacekeeping.un.org/en/service-and-sacrifice
Since 1948, more than a million women and men have served as UN peacekeepers. Every day, they make a tangible difference in the lives of millions of the world’s most vulnerable people. Peacekeeping is a unique force with military and police from over 120 countries serving together, alongside civilian personnel. UN peacekeepers come from diverse cultures and speak different languages but share a common purpose: the protection of vulnerable communities and the provision of support to countries struggling to move from conflict to peace. Tragically some make the ultimate sacrifice - over 3,500 peacekeepers have lost their lives in the cause of peace. https://peacekeeping.un.org/en/what-is-peacekeeping Action for Peacekeeping: https://peacekeeping.un.org/en/action-for-peacekeeping-a4p
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