UNITED NATIONS (Sputnik) — Almost 130 UN peacekeepers from 50 countries lost their lives as a result of acts of violence, accidents and disease last year, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said Thursday, commemorating the International Day of UN Peacekeepers.
"Today we join together in this solemn ceremony to honour the memory of the 129 men and woman who lost their lives last year while serving under the United Nations flag. These brave personnel came from 50 countries," he said at a medal ceremony for UN peacekeepers killed in 2015.
He underlined that peacekeeping remains the flagship of the United Nations enterprise.
"The number of people who serve in our operations – more than 124,000 – demonstrates how much the international community continues to depend on our Blue Helmets," the UN chief said.
The United Nations currently runs 16 peacekeeping operations.
Since the first UN peacekeeping mission was launched in 1948, some 3,400 UN military, police and civilian personnel have lost their lives in the service.
