New York: UNSG Honors Two Royal Armed Forces Peacekeepers who died in Service of Peace

31 mai 2024 Printable Version

United Nations (New York) - United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres honored two Royal Armed Forces peacekeepers on Thursday during the annual ceremony paying tribute to the memory of civilian and uniformed personnel who died in UN peacekeeping operations in 2023.

The ceremony took place in the presence of Morocco's Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Omar Kadiri, and the Military Advisor to the Kingdom's Permanent Mission to the UN, Colonel Najim Assid.

The Dag Hammarskjold Medal was awarded posthumously by the Secretary General to Master Corporal Hafid Nachit and Private First Class Driss Hajjaj, both of whom died on October 2, 2023, in action for their noble mission of maintaining peace within the contingent of the Royal Armed Forces deployed to the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA).

On the occasion of this ceremony, the international community paid tribute to more than 4,300 men and women peacekeepers, who have made the ultimate sacrifice in the service of peace since 1948, including 61 during 2023.

renforcer les institutions locales et les systèmes démocratiques dont dépendent la paix et le développement et mettre en œuvre la prévention, comme nous nous y sommes engagés dans le Nouvel Agenda pour la paix”.

In his speech, Guterres stressed that “the memory of the fallen peacekeepers is a reminder of the tragic human cost of conflict,” adding that as the world lives in difficult and dangerous times, the role of peacekeepers is more indispensable than ever. “They show us what peace looks like: protecting the most vulnerable, preserving fragile ceasefires, defusing local conflicts, eliminating mines and explosive remnants of war, strengthening local institutions and democratic systems on which depend peace and development and implementing prevention, as we committed to in the New Agenda for Peace”.

In a message projected during this ceremony, the Permanent Representative of Morocco to the United Nations in New York, Ambassador Omar Hilale, presented his most sincere condolences and prayers to the bereaved families of the honorable peacekeepers and to the great family of United Nations peacekeeping.

Paying tribute to the invaluable work of peacekeepers who lost their lives defending the noble cause of peace and security, as well as the principles and values shared within the United Nations, Hilale called for duty “to aspire to continue our efforts every day to build a world of hope and peace for all”.

With 1,714 peacekeepers deployed in UN missions in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUSCO) and the Central African Republic (MINUSCA), Morocco is currently the 8th contributor of troops to United Nations peacekeeping operations.