The “UN Peacekeeping: Service and Sacrifice” campaign, which thanks the Member States contributing uniformed personnel to UN peace operations, was re-launched this week.
The campaign is a joint initiative of the Department of Global Communications and the Department of Peace Operations. Launched in 2018, it has highlighted the contributions of more than 52 Member States.
The fourth phase will focus on more than a dozen troop- and police-contributing countries. The content varies for each country and includes social media and multimedia content, such as videos, audio, photo essays, and print articles.
This year’s campaign opened with Canada, a key and longstanding partner of UN Peacekeeping.
Canada was among the first countries to contribute to UN Peacekeeping when it participated in the first peacekeeping operations UN Truce Supervision Organization in the Middle East (UNTSO) in 1954, as well as to the UN’s first armed mission, the UN Emergency Force (UNEF) in 1956.
Since that time, Canada has provided more than 125,000 military and police personnel to dozens of UN peace operations around the world.
Today, Canada provides 59 uniformed personnel, including 18 women, to six UN peace operations making it the 69th largest contributor.
Its largest contribution of personnel is to the UN Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO), where 23 of its women and men currently serve.
Canada is also a part of the Secretary-General’s Action for Peacekeeping initiative.
Action for Peacekeeping calls on Member States, the Security Council, host countries, troop- and police-contributing countries, regional partners, and financial contributors to renew our collective engagement with UN peacekeeping and mutually commit to reach for excellence.
Canada launched the Elsie Initiative for Women in Peace Operations to help increase the meaningful participation of uniformed women.
Follow the campaign on UN social media accounts at #ServingForPeace and on the dedicated Service and Sacrifice website.
