DFA to host celebration honoring Filipino UN peacekeepers
05/27/2009 | 08:28 PM
MANILA, Philippines — Filipino peacekeepers abroad will be feted Friday at the first inter-agency Philippine celebration of the International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers.
The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) will host the event to honor peacekeepers' dedicated service in the areas where they are assigned.
"Over the years, Philippine peacekeepers have earned the respect and recognition of the United Nations because of their outstanding performance and tireless commitment to maintain global peace and security," the DFA said on its website (www.dfa.gov.ph) Wednesday night.
At present, it added the Philippines is the third largest troop contributor in Southeast Asia and ranked 30th in the world.
The Philippine government is also considering increasing the deployment of women peacekeepers in accordance with this year’s theme of greater involvement by women in UN peacekeeping missions.
DFA Secretary Alberto Romulo, who chairs of the Philippine Inter-Agency Council on UN Peacekeeping Operations, will deliver the keynote speech at Friday's event.
Acting UN Resident Coordinator Dr. Soe Nyunt-U will convey a message from UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon.
Expected to attend are ranking officials from the Departments of Defense (DND) and Interior and Local Government (DILG), nearly 80 former UN peacekeepers from the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Philippine National Police (PNP), as well as members of the diplomatic corps, including Ambassadors and representatives from troop and police contributing countries.
At the event, the Dag Hammarskjold Medal will be presented to Immaculate Batalla, widow of Philippine Army officer Lt. Col. Renerio Batalla who died of malaria on October 24 last year while serving in the UN Mission in Sudan.
"The Dag Hammarskjold Medal is a posthumous award to members of peacekeeping operations who lost their lives during service with a peacekeeping operation under the operational control and authority of the United Nations," the DFA said.
The DFA noted the Philippines had sent peacekeeping missions all over the world beginning with the air force deployment in support of the UN Mission in the Congo in 1963.
Subsequent missions were sent to Afghanistan, Burundi, Cambodia, Cote d’Ivoire, Georgia, Haiti, Iraq, Kosovo, Liberia, Nepal, Sudan and Timor-Leste.
Last April 16, President Arroyo signed Proclamation No. 1755 declaring May 29 of each year as the “International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers in the Philippines" as designated in Resolution 57/129 by the United Nations General Assembly of 2002.
In October 2008, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and Romulo jointly signed the Memorandum of Understanding allowing the Philippines to participate in the UN Standby Arrangement System (UNSAS) to provide resources for peacekeeping operations within agreed response times. - GMANews.TV
The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) will host the event to honor peacekeepers' dedicated service in the areas where they are assigned.
"Over the years, Philippine peacekeepers have earned the respect and recognition of the United Nations because of their outstanding performance and tireless commitment to maintain global peace and security," the DFA said on its website (www.dfa.gov.ph) Wednesday night.
At present, it added the Philippines is the third largest troop contributor in Southeast Asia and ranked 30th in the world.
The Philippine government is also considering increasing the deployment of women peacekeepers in accordance with this year’s theme of greater involvement by women in UN peacekeeping missions.
DFA Secretary Alberto Romulo, who chairs of the Philippine Inter-Agency Council on UN Peacekeeping Operations, will deliver the keynote speech at Friday's event.
Acting UN Resident Coordinator Dr. Soe Nyunt-U will convey a message from UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon.
Expected to attend are ranking officials from the Departments of Defense (DND) and Interior and Local Government (DILG), nearly 80 former UN peacekeepers from the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Philippine National Police (PNP), as well as members of the diplomatic corps, including Ambassadors and representatives from troop and police contributing countries.
At the event, the Dag Hammarskjold Medal will be presented to Immaculate Batalla, widow of Philippine Army officer Lt. Col. Renerio Batalla who died of malaria on October 24 last year while serving in the UN Mission in Sudan.
"The Dag Hammarskjold Medal is a posthumous award to members of peacekeeping operations who lost their lives during service with a peacekeeping operation under the operational control and authority of the United Nations," the DFA said.
The DFA noted the Philippines had sent peacekeeping missions all over the world beginning with the air force deployment in support of the UN Mission in the Congo in 1963.
Subsequent missions were sent to Afghanistan, Burundi, Cambodia, Cote d’Ivoire, Georgia, Haiti, Iraq, Kosovo, Liberia, Nepal, Sudan and Timor-Leste.
Last April 16, President Arroyo signed Proclamation No. 1755 declaring May 29 of each year as the “International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers in the Philippines" as designated in Resolution 57/129 by the United Nations General Assembly of 2002.
In October 2008, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and Romulo jointly signed the Memorandum of Understanding allowing the Philippines to participate in the UN Standby Arrangement System (UNSAS) to provide resources for peacekeeping operations within agreed response times. - GMANews.TV
