The first UN mission, the Truce Supervision Organization (UNTSO), was created on 29 May 1948 to oversee the truce between Arab and Jewish communities in Palestine. Here, Syrian liaison officer Lt. Colonel Souad Kemal greets UNTSO chief of staff Major-General Carl C. von Horn in 1959. Today, 150 UNTSO military observers continue to monitor ceasefires, supervise armistice agreements, and prevent isolated incidents that could trigger violence and conflict.
Peacekeepers in all 12 current missions work in community outreach activities to listen and respond to the unique needs of the population, from warning children about landmine danger to peace education in schools. About 40 years ago, women represented 1 per cent of peacekeepers, a number that climbed in 2020 to 4.8 per cent of military contingents and 10.9 per cent of formed police units. Today, the UN continues to work with governments to strengthen women’s representation. Learn more about women in peacekeeping here.
Peacekeepers and the UN Mine Action Service (UNMAS) are making communities safer in 21 countries. In Western Sahara, one of 17 territories on the UN’s decolonization list and among the world’s most heavily contaminated areas following 16 years of war, the UN mission, MINURSO, helps to remove unexploded ordnance scattered across a 2,700-kilometre-long sand berm. “For each landmine I remove from the ground, I have the conviction I have saved a life,” said de-miner Fatimetu Bushraya Malainin, a Sahrawi woman born in a refugee camp in Tindouf, Algeria.
Responding to catastrophes, from earthquakes in Haiti to the COVID-19 pandemic, peacekeepers stand by to lend a hand. In the aftermath of the devastating blast in Beirut in 2020 that killed more than 200 people, UNIFIL helped national authorities to assess damage and support rescue efforts, deploying an emergency medical team. Learn how peacekeepers stood with the Lebanese people here.
Blue helmets, like this peacekeeper with the UN mission in the Central African Republic, MINUSCA, continued their work during the COVID-19 pandemic, despite restrictions. They also helped to distribute essential supplies, including masks, hygiene products, and educational products to local communities, from running testing clinics to sanitizing schools. Learn how peacekeepers contributed to national efforts to curb the coronavirus here.
In Syria, a peacekeeper greets the students at the Faouar School, one of four refurbished by the UN Disengagement Force (UNDOF) as part of a Quick Impact Project responding to urgent needs of local communities. Other such projects have helped to improve roads, bridges, and hospitals around the world. Learn more about projects for communities here.
Keeping civilians safe is key to peacekeeping, including the UN mission in Mali, MINUSMA. Blue helmets patrol markets and neighbourhoods, like this UN Police officer in Timbuktu, checking in on communities affected by violence in the area. Learn about how peacekeepers strive to protect civilians here.