What is International Day of Peacekeepers?
Celebrated on the 29th of May every year, the International Day of UN Peacekeepers honors UN entities, humanitarians, the communities, women and youth, media, academia, traditional and faith-based leaders, host governments, troop and police contributing countries, member states, and many others in their continued efforts to improve countless lives and communities. Today we remember the selfless men and women who provided tremendous contributions in previous years.
Who were some notable honorees during this day?
Captain Abdelrazakh Hamit Bahar
Captain Abdelrazakh Hamit Bahar served with the United Nations Integrated Multidimensional Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA). Born in Chad, Bahar always felt his calling was to help others. “He used to organize tournaments for the young people in the neighborhood and would give out prizes to winners and losers alike,” his brother Hamid Bahar Ahmat fondly recalls. Despite initial aversion from his father, Bahar was eventually allowed to join the military. He earned acceptance from Chad’s best military school, where he graduated with honors after completing a wide range of specialized training. He later joined MINUSMA to fulfill his passion for helping others.
Seven years later, on the 21st of April, 2021, a group of armed terrorists attacked a camp in northeast Mali at sunrise with a cannonade of rockets. Bahar was stationed there to protect the 350 strong civilian population. Without hesitation, Bahar launched a counter-attack on the terrorists. Minutes into the battle, the terrorists stormed into the camp on jeeps and motorbikes. Bahar noticed a handful of gunmen entering a home nearby, and without a thought for his safety single-handedly led an operation to clear the house. By the end of the operation, Bahar was shot and killed, but not without inflicting heavy losses on the enemy ranks. Bahar was honored during the 2022 International Day of Peacekeeping, and posthumously awarded the Captain Diagne Medal for Exceptional Courage.
Rem Sreypy
Another exceptional honoree is Rem Sreypy from Cambodia and her work with the UN Mine Action Service (UNMAS) deployed with the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL). UNMAS and UNIFIL work together toward a mine-free south Lebanon. Sreypy, one of the youngest deminers in south Lebanon, came from a country that experienced a civil war. After seeing so much suffering and pain, she felt that she had to do something about it.
Since 2006, UNIFIL teams have created as many as 4,885,900 square meters of land in south Lebanon, and have disposed of more than 47,000 mines, cluster bombs, and other unexploded remnants of war, and Sreypy, along with more than 9000 troops and volunteers, continue to increase this statistic every day.
As we read the stories of Peacekeeping honorees every year, we need to introspect on the lessons we can take from these inspiring accounts. Bahar was one of countless soldiers who served in the Chadian military while Sreypy is also one of many people who experienced the horrors of war. However, what sets them apart is their sense of responsibility toward the rest of the world. Bahar, despite being from Chad, went to Mali to stabilize the volatile environment there. Srepsy, while being born in Cambodia, felt compelled to help south Lebanon, which is thousands of kilometers away. Their inner sense of universality and concern for human rights have helped thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of people, lead better lives. This universality, so well displayed in the actions of Bahar and Sreypy, should inspire all of us to be more caring for others, regardless of background, race, or country.
UNESCO BMW Involvement
UNESCO Body Mind Wellness Club actively works to bring peace of mind within a person in efforts to bring peace to the world. UNESCO BMW aims to bring people together through numerous other methods ranging from cultivating people’s creativity to leading walks in nature. Join us in a multitude of workshops to understand the benefits of inner peace meditation, family reintegration, and more!
UNESCO BMW Vision
Our vision mission encompasses three main goals that are also in line with this occasion today and engage people of all ages, especially the youth-improvement of the inner ecosystem, enhancement of inner creativity through arts and crafts and lastly, encouragement of inner peace on a global level.
By Advait Guje
Sources
Fallen Captain wins award for ‘exceptional courage’
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