UN Lauds India's Peacekeeping Commitment; Two Soldiers Posthumously Honoured
The UN's top peacekeeping official, Jean-Pierre Lacroix, hailed India as a crucial supporter of global peacekeeping efforts, particularly its push for accountability for crimes against peacekeepers. Coinciding with this, two Indian peacekeepers, Brigadier Amitabh Jha and Havildar Sanjay Singh, were posthumously honoured by the UN on International Day of UN Peacekeepers for their ultimate sacrifice while serving under the UN flag in 2024 in UNDOF and DR Congo respectively.
Unpacked:
Brigadier Amitabh Jha served with the UN Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) in the Golan Heights, providing logistics and security, while Havildar Sanjay Singh was deployed in the Democratic Republic of Congo, likely as part of India's ongoing troop contribution to the UN mission there.
India is the largest contributor to UN peacekeeping, having sent over 290,000 peacekeepers to more than 50 missions since the 1950s, and currently deploying over 5,000 troops to nine active missions, often in dangerous and volatile regions.
The International Day of UN Peacekeepers honors the service and sacrifice of peacekeepers worldwide, commemorates those who have lost their lives under the UN flag, and raises awareness of the role peacekeepers play in maintaining international peace and security.
India has been a vocal advocate for accountability measures at the UN, pushing for better protection of peacekeepers and justice for crimes committed against them, including supporting resolutions and initiatives to strengthen legal frameworks and ensure perpetrators are prosecuted.