International Day of UN Peacekeepers | May 29

About International Day of UN Peacekeepers

In 1948, the UN deployed the first peacekeeping mission. According to the UN, peacekeeping was developed "to help countries torn by conflict create the conditions for lasting peace."

A UN peacekeeping mission makes it 75 to 85 percent less likely that an area will relapse into conflict, according to a study published in Peace Operations Review. Often risking their lives in dangerous surroundings, UN peacekeepers save lives and protect the world’s most vulnerable people, in countries transitioning from war to peace such as Sierra Leone, Cambodia, Timor Leste, Namibia, El Salvador and beyond. 

Defying Death in South Sudan is a short film directed by Francis Mead. It won the Ron Kovic Peace Prize at the 2016 MY HERO International Film Festival. We think this is a must-see film about Ken Payumo, a former NYPD officer and Justice Department attorney, who protected thousands of civilians in South Sudan during the height of the violence in the country in December 2013. 

Teachers: Visit the free MY HERO Lesson Plan for International Day of UN Peacekeepers. Includes discussion guide and learning outcomes.

My Hero suggested viewing: Under the Blue Helmet: Life as a UN Peacekeeper. 

Produced by UN Peacekeeping, this 360-degree film provides a virtual experience of the front lines of peacekeeping: "Over 70 years, over 70 operations, more than 1 million civilian, police and militiary UN personnel have helped, protected and nurtured a fragile peace."