By Wang Zhehao and Lv Desheng
BEIJING, May 31 -- The Peacekeeping Affairs Center under China's Ministry of National Defense and the UN Resident Coordinator's Office in China jointly hosted an online reception to commemorate the 19th International Day of UN Peacekeepers in Beijing on May 28. This is one of China’s activities commemorating the 50th anniversary of the restoration of the lawful seat of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) in the United Nations.
The UN Security Council passed a resolution to establish the United Nations Truce Supervision Organization (UNTSO) on May 29, 1948, to oversee the implementation of the Armistice Agreement between Israel and Arab countries, which was the first UN peacekeeping operation. In 2002, the UN General Assembly passed a resolution to designate May 29 each year as the International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers to commend those who have participated in and are participating in peacekeeping operations and to mourn those who have dedicated their lives to the cause of peace. So far, the UN has carried out 71 peacekeeping operations, and hundreds of thousands of peacekeepers from more than 120 countries have devoted themselves to this great and noble cause. UN peacekeeping operations have played an irreplaceable and important role in promoting the peaceful settlement of disputes and maintaining world peace.
The Chinese military and police have participated in nearly 30 UN peacekeeping operations and dispatched more than 50,000 peacekeepers. At present, more than 2,500 Chinese peacekeepers are performing tasks in eight mission areas and the UN headquarters. China has become the second largest contributor to both peacekeeping assessment and UN membership fees, and the largest troop-contributing country among the permanent members of the UN Security Council. It is hailed by the UN as "a key force in UN peacekeeping operations".
Representatives of China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) and Ministry of National Defense (MND), as well as representatives of UN agencies, major troop-contributing and fund-contributing countries for UN peacekeeping operations, and International Committee of the Red Cross in China, attended the online reception.