Today is the International Day of UN Peacekeepers. We give thanks for the work all those who work for peace everywhere. We pray for the day that peace does not need to be kept but rather prevails.
Below is a statement by US Ambassador to the UN, Susan Rice:
Statement by Ambassador Susan E. Rice, U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations, On the International Day of UN Peacekeepers
U.S. Mission to the United Nations
New York, NY
May 29, 2013
On International Day of UN Peacekeepers, the United States honors the brave men and women who serve in harm’s way to protect the world’s most vulnerable. Last year, 112 peacekeepers lost their lives in pursuit of making the world safer and more secure. Today, we commemorate their sacrifice, as well as that of their families and communities across the globe.
United Nations military, police, and civilian peacekeepers courageously serve when the global community calls. Last year, we celebrated the return of UN troops after the end of a successful mission in Timor-Leste, and this year we are again calling upon them to bring stability to Mali. We depend on peacekeepers to stabilize, secure, and help rebuild war-torn societies, from the Democratic Republic of the Congo to Haiti, and we are grateful for their valor and professionalism.