Secretary-General Antonio Guterres (R) lays a wreath in honour of all peacekeepers who lost their lives while serving under the UN flag on May 24, 2017 at the UN headquarters, New York. (Xinhua/UN photo)
UNITED NATIONS, May 24 (Xinhua) -- At a corner of the north lawn at the UN headquarters, peacekeepers and diplomats led by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres mourned in silence on Wednesday morning for fallen peacekeepers who lost their lives while serving under the UN flag.
"Today we remember not only our uniformed personnel but civilian peacekeepers who have fallen -- international civil servants, national staff members, and UN Volunteers," said Guterres at a wreath-laying ceremony held here.
A white wreath decorated with blue ribbon was laid in front of a glass memorial wall on which writes "Remember here those who gave their lives for peace" in six UN official languages.
UN statistics show that 117 military, police and civilian peacekeepers from 43 countries died in service in 2017. For the deceased peacekeepers, the Dag Hammarskjold Medal was awarded posthumously to them at another ceremony held later.
UN diplomats and peacekeepers on May 24, 2017 mourn the death of 117 peacekeepers who lost lives in peacekeeping operations in 2017 at the UN headquarters in New York. (Xinhua/Shi Xiaomeng)
Among the 117 fallen peacekeepers, there are three from China -- Sergeant Liangliang Shen who served with the UN Mission in Mali (MINUSMA), and Corporal Lei Li and Sergeant Shupeng Yang who both served with the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS).
"The three fallen Chinese peacekeepers sacrificed their young lives for UN peacekeeping operations," said Chinese Ambassador to the UN Liu Jieyi. "Inspired by their spirit, China will consistently and unswervingly support the cause for world peace."
The honoring activities came ahead of the International Day of UN Peacekeepers which is observed annually on May 29. Currently, 16 peacekeeping operations are deployed in countries and regions including Haiti, Central African Republic, Western Sahara, and Kosovo.
Nowadays, UN peacekeeping operations are faced with grave challenges with peacekeepers continuing to come under attack from armed groups, spoilers and increasingly by terrorists, Guterres noted.
Over the past few weeks, MINUSMA, the mission which is mandated to support the peace process in Mali, has been under several attacks. In May alone, three peacekeepers were killed in attacks against MINUSMA, making it the deadliest peacekeeping mission across the world.
Koen Davidse, deputy special representative of MINUSMA, told Xinhua that the biggest challenge facing the mission is terrorist attacks and therefore it is working to strengthen its camps to ensure the safety and security of its peacekeepers.
Noting the killing of Chinese peacekeeper Liangliang Shen, Davidse said: "He died a hero while protecting others. We will continue our work bringing peace to Mali and making sure his sacrifice was not in vain."
Speaking of China's contribution to the peacekeeping operation in Mali, Davidse said "we greatly admire our Chinese fellow peacekeepers working on protection, medical care, and engineering."
"China is making a difference here which both Mali and the UN appreciate, especially since China is also a permanent member of the Security Council," he noted.
"The Chinese efforts in MINUSMA are crucial for protecting our bases, engineering works and medical care for the UN and the population," he added.
