May
29
International Day of UN Peacekeepers
Responding
to Haiti tragedy, UN peacekeepers exemplified
dedication and professionalism
More
than 124,000 peacekeepers are now deployed
in 15 operations worldwide, clear evidence
of global respect for, dependence on and confidence
in United Nations peacekeeping operations.
The
international community counts on its Blue
Helmets to protect the vulnerable in some
of the world's most dangerous places, but
their service comes at a high cost--throughout
UN peacekeeping’s more than 60-year history,
violence, accidents and disease have cost
the lives of more than 2,700 individuals working
in hot spots around the world, from the Middle
East to the Balkans, Africa and beyond.
The
United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti
(MINUSTAH) was working with the Haitian authorities
to support political stability, promote human
rights and bolster security when a massive
earthquake struck the country on 12 January.
More than 230,000 Haitians lost their lives
in one of that nation's darkest days. Additionally,
101 UN personnel, including 96 peacekeepers,
were killed. It was the deadliest natural
disaster to ever strike Haiti and the biggest
single loss of life in the history of UN peacekeeping.
For the peacekeepers, the tragedy was colossal.
The collapse of MINUSTAH’s Headquarters took
the lives of the mission’s chief, Hédi Annabi
and his deputy, Luiz Carlos da Costa, as well
as its police commissioner Douglas Coates,
who were attending a meeting with a visiting
Chinese delegation. Nearly one hundred more
UN military, police and civilian personnel
from around the world and Haiti itself also
perished at the Headquarters and other UN
facilities in the capital. A total of 29 UN
Member States lost uniformed or civilian personnel
in the disaster. Brazil, which has played
a strong leading role in the peacekeeping
mission since its inception in 2004, lost
20 of its nationals, more than any other troop
or police contributing country.
Despite
these tremendous losses, the UN peacekeepers
knew that their vital work to restore stability
was even more urgent amid the chaos. The mission
adjusted and recalibrated. The peacekeepers
immediately started the somber work of looking
for survivors and recovering the remains of
those who perished, while at the same time
reconstructing the mission and planning and
implementing a strategic response to the disaster.
Since
the quake, MINUSTAH has continued to work
hard to help stabilize Haiti and the professionalism,
dedication and courage shown by the ‘blue
helmets’ in Haiti since then is just one of
many examples of UN peacekeeping helping countries
overcome conflict and tragedy. The peacekeepers
in Haiti, and their colleagues serving worldwide,
are the personification of one of the most
important functions of the United Nations
– maintaining international peace and security.
On a more human level, their works gives people
from conflict-torn countries hope for a better,
safer and more secure future. For this, they
rightly deserve the recognition they receive
today -- the eighth annual International Day
of UN Peacekeepers
About
International Day of UN PEACEKEEPERS
By resolution 57/129 of 11 December
2002, the General Assembly designated 29 May
as the International Day of United Nations
Peacekeepers, to pay tribute to all the men
and women who have served and continue to
serve in United Nations peacekeeping operations
for their high level of professionalism, dedication
and courage, and to honour the memory of those
who have lost their lives in the cause of
peace.
The
Assembly invited all Member States, organizations
of the United Nations system, non-governmental
organizations and individuals to observe the
Day in an appropriate manner.
Events
363
– Roman Emperor Julian defeats the Sassanid
army in the Battle of Ctesiphon, under the
walls of the Sassanid capital, but is unable
to take the city.
1167 – Battle of Monte Porzio – A Roman army
supporting Pope Alexander III is defeated
by Christian of Buch and Rainald of Dassel
1176 – Battle of Legnano: The Lombard League
defeats Emperor Frederick I.
1328 – Philip VI is crowned King of France.
1414 – Council of Constance.
1453 – Fall of Constantinople: Ottoman armies
under Sultan Mehmed II Fatih captures Constantinople
after a 53-day siege, ending the Byzantine
Empire.
1660 – English Restoration: Charles II is
restored to the throne of Great Britain.
1677 – Treaty of Middle Plantation establishes
peace between the Virginia colonists and the
local Natives.
1727 – Peter II becomes Tsar of Russia.
1733 – The right of Canadians to keep Indian
slaves is upheld at Quebec City.
1780 – American Revolutionary War: At the
Battle of Waxhaws, the British continue fighting
after the Continentals lay down their arms,
killing 113 and critically wounding all but
53 that remained.
1790 – Rhode Island becomes the last of the
original United States' colonies to ratify
the Constitution and is admitted as the 13th
U.S. state.
1798 – United Irishmen Rebellion: Between
300 and 500 United Irishmen are massacred
by the British Army in County Kildare, Ireland.
1848 – Wisconsin is admitted as the 30th U.S.
state.
1852 – Jenny Lind left New York after her
wildly successful two-year American tour.
1861 – The Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce
was founded, in Hong Kong.
1864 – Emperor Maximilian I of Mexico arrives
in Mexico for the first time.
1867 – The Ausgleich ("the Compromise")
is born through Act 12, which establishes
the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
1868 – The assassination of Michael Obrenovich
III, Prince of Serbia, in Belgrade.
1886 – Chemist John Pemberton places his first
advertisement for Coca-Cola, the ad appearing
in the Atlanta Journal.
1900 – N'Djamena is founded as Fort-Lamy by
French commander Émile Gentil
1903 – May coup d'etat[disambiguation needed
]: Alexander Obrenovich, King of Serbia, and
Queen Draga, are assassinated in Belgrade
by the Black Hand (Crna Ruka) organization.
1913 – Igor Stravinsky's ballet score The
Rite of Spring receives its premiere performance
in Paris, provoking a riot.
1914 – Ocean liner RMS Empress of Ireland
sinks in the Gulf of St. Lawrence with the
loss of 1,024 lives.
1918 – Armenia defeats the Ottoman Army in
the Battle of Sardarapat.
1919 – Albert Einstein's theory of general
relativity is tested (later confirmed) by
Arthur Eddington and Andrew Crommelin.
1919 – The Republic of Prekmurje founded
1924 – AEK Athens FC is established on the
anniversary of the siege of Constantinople
by the Turks.
1932 – World War I Veterans begin to assemble
in Washington, D.C. in the Bonus Army to request
cash bonuses promised to them to be paid in
1945.
1939 – Albanian fascist leader Tefik Mborja
is appointed as member of the Italian Chamber
of Fasces and Corporations.
1940 – The first flight of the F4U Corsair.
1942 – Bing Crosby, the Ken Darby Singers
and the John Scott Trotter Orchestra record
Irving Berlin's "White Christmas",
the best-selling Christmas single in history.
1945 – First combat mission of the Consolidated
B-32 Dominator heavy bomber.
1948 – Creation of the United Nations Peacekeeping
Force the United Nations Truce Supervision
Organization
1950 – The St. Roch, the first ship to circumnavigate
North America, arrives in Halifax, Nova Scotia.
1953 – Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay
become the first people to reach the summit
of Mount Everest, on Tenzing Norgay's (adopted)
39th birthday.
1954 – First of the annual Bilderberg conferences.
1964 – The Arab League meets in East Jerusalem
to discuss the Palestinian question, leading
to the formation of the Palestinian Liberation
Organization.
1969 – General strike in Córdoba, Argentina,
leading to the Cordobazo civil unrest.
1973 – Tom Bradley is elected the first black
mayor of Los Angeles, California.
1982 – Pope John Paul II becomes the first
pontiff to visit Canterbury Cathedral.
1985 – Heysel Stadium disaster: 39 association
football fans die and hundreds are injured
when a dilapidated retaining wall collapses.
1985 – Amputee Steve Fonyo completes cross-Canada
marathon at Victoria, British Columbia, after
14 months.
1988 – U.S. President Ronald Reagan begins
his first visit to the Soviet Union when he
arrives in Moscow for a superpower summit
with Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev.
1989 – Signing of an agreement Egypt - U.S.
manufacturing parts of the fighter F-16 in
Egypt.
1990 – The Russian parliament elects Boris
Yeltsin president of the Russian SFSR.
1999 – Olusegun Obasanjo takes office as President
of Nigeria, the first elected and civilian
head of state in Nigeria after 16 years of
military rule.
1999 – Space Shuttle Discovery completes the
first docking with the International Space
Station.
2001 – U.S. Supreme Court rules that disabled
golfer Casey Martin can use a cart to ride
in tournaments.
2004 – The World War II Memorial is dedicated
in Washington, D.C.
Holidays
and observances
Ascension
of Bahá'u'lláh (Bahá'í Faith)
Christian Feast Day:
Bona of Pisa
Maximin of Trier
Pope Alexander of Alexandria (Eastern Orthodox
Church)
Theodosia of Constantinople (Eastern Orthodox
Church)
May 29 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
Democracy Day (Nigeria)
Earliest day on which Feast of the Sacred
Heart can fall, while July 2 is the latest;
celebrated 19 days after Pentecost. (Roman
Catholic Church)
International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers
(International)
Oak Apple Day (England)
Statehood Day (Rhode Island and Wisconsin)
Pashto Day
For details, contact Datacentre
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