‘The true cost of peace’: UN honours fallen peacekeepers as dangers mount
The commemoration of the International Day of UN Peacekeepers came hours after another blue helmet serving with the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) died
The commemoration of the International Day of UN Peacekeepers came hours after another blue helmet serving with the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) died from injuries sustained in a mortar attack, as hostilities continue between Israeli troops and Hezbollah militants. The day began with UN Secretary-General António Guterres laying a wreath at the Peacekeepers Memorial on the Secretariat grounds in New York before presiding over a solemn ceremony in the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) attended by senior officials, the diplomatic community, and bereaved family members and colleagues. UN Photo/Mark Garten Service and sacrifice “Unfortunately, as events of this very week remind us, peacekeepers continue to face peril in the cause of peace – and we pay the highest tribute to their service and sacrifice,” he said. Tweet URL The Secretary-General posthumously bestowed the Dag Hammarskjöld Medal on 68 peacekeepers from 33 nations, including 59 who paid the ultimate price last year. Their photos were displayed on a screen and their names read out as country representatives accepted the boxed medals. “They represent the best of humanity – people prepared to risk everything to keep others safe,” he said. Bravery awards Two peacekeepers were rewarded for their bravery, receiving the Captain Mbaye Diagne Medal for Exceptional Courage – named after a Senegalese military officer killed in Rwanda in 1994.
Sergeant Matias Reyes of Uruguay saved lives serving under the UN flag in the restive eastern region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) in January 2025. The Ebola outbreak there prevented him from travelling to New York. The other recipient, Sergii Prykhodko of Ukraine - a private contractor with a helicopter crew at the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) - sacrificed his life during a dangerous mission to evacuate besieged soldiers in March 2025. “This medal honours his bravery, but it also reminds us of the true cost of peace – the sacrifices made by those who serve far from home for the sake of people they may never meet,” his widow Tetiana Prykhodko told the gathering. UN Photo/Mark Garten Putting others first Speaking afterwards to UN News, she recalled that her husband “always went where help was needed, knowing that danger could be unavoidable,” and had agreed to volunteer with the UN because he wanted to help others. “He did what he had always done — he put others before himself. And I believe his example of serving peace is an example for all of us,” she said. Prykhodko, who attended the ceremony with their si year-old daughter Elizabeth, wanted her husband to be remembered for his humanity, courage, and sense of responsibility.
The BriefWire