Deputy Secretary-General
Video Message on the International Day of Peacekeepers

On the International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers, we express our admiration for the more than 120,000 women and men around the world risking their lives far from home to help civilians recover from war.

We also remember the terrible price they pay in serving the cause of peace.

Already this year, seven of our staff were brutally murdered in Afghanistan.

A plane crash in the Democratic Republic of the Congo killed 32 UN staff and partners.

Others lost their lives in Sudan, Côte d’Ivoire, Liberia and Timor-Leste.

We mourn their deaths.

But we are inspired by their lives.  And we pledge to carry on their noble work.

That includes upholding the rule of law – the theme of this year’s observance of Peacekeepers Day.

As a lawyer and the Chair of the UN’s Rule of Law Coordination Group, I welcome the world’s growing awareness that the rule of law is critical to peace and development.

Rule of law is not just an abstract idea. It is a long-term goal of all UN peace operations.

It is a matter of painstaking work to build effective police institutions, judiciaries and corrections services, which are all essential for lasting peace.

Trustworthy police to help people reclaim their streets.

Impartial judiciaries to serve justice.

Humane prisons to guarantee human rights and rehabilitation for people serving their sentences.

On this International Day, we renew our resolve to replace rule by power with the powerful rule of law.

Thank you.

Asha-Rose Migiro