New Delhi, May 29 (UNI) On the 76th International Day of United Nations (UN) Peacekeepers, the Indian Army paid homage to the fallen comrades at the National War Memorial here on Wednesday.
Lieutenant General Rakesh Kapoor, Deputy Chief of the Army Staff (Information Systems & Coordination), officials of United Nations Organisation, staff from Ministries of Defence and External Affairs laid wreaths, an official statement said.
This is the day when in 1948 the first UN Peacekeeping Mission, “UN Truce Supervision Organisation (UNTSO)” began operations in Palestine.
India has contributed services of approximately 2,87,000 troops to peacekeeping missions, making it one of the largest contributors of troops. As many as 160 Indian Army soldiers have made the supreme sacrifice to ensure peace across the globe. Presently, Indian Armed Forces are deployed across nine countries in peacekeeping missions, namely UNDOF, UNIFIL, UNTSO, UNFICYP, MONUSCO, UNMISS, UNIFSA, MINUSCA and MINURSO.
The Indian Army has established a Centre for UN Peacekeeping (CUNPK) in New Delhi to impart niche training in peacekeeping operations. This Centre trains more than 12,000 troops every year.
The UN has set out mandated targets to increase the participation of women peacekeepers as part of its gender parity drive to better address the concerns of the local women population in the missions.
During the UN Peacekeeping Ministerial held at Accra, Ghana on 05-06 December 2023, India has re-affirmed its commitment towards future peacekeeping initiatives by the UN. During the meet, India has pledged an Infantry Battalion Group, various sub-groups, UN Pre-Deployment Training of Trainers Course and UN Military Observers Course for the next two years, to meet the requirements of the UN.
