DFA Joins Commemoration of the International Day of UN Peacekeepers
DFA Assistant Secretary Noralyn Jubaira-Baja (seventh from left) and AFP Vice Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Melchor B. Mison, Jr. (sixth from left) are flanked by the 2019 National Council for UN Peace Operations (NCUNPO) awardees. The awarding ceremony was part of the 2019 commemoration of the International Day of UN Peacekeepers which is celebrated every 29th of May.
QUEZON CITY 07 June 2019 — The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) joined the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and other members the National Council for UN Peace Operations (NCUNPO) in the commemoration of the 2019 International Day of UN Peacekeepers on 29 May 2019 at the AFP Commissioned Officers’ Club (AFPCOC) in Camp General Emilio Aguinaldo, Quezon City.
Foreign Affairs Assistant Secretary for United Nations and International Organizations and NCUNPO Secretary General Noralyn Jubaira-Baja, AFP Vice Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Melchor B. Mison, Jr., and AFP Peacekeeping Operations Center Commanding Officer Oriel Pangcog led the commemoration.
The event featured a short tribute for the fallen peacekeepers who sacrificed their lives in the cause of peace, which was followed by the awarding ceremony for military, police, and corrections and civilian personnel for their exemplary service to the cause of peacekeeping. The NCUNPO grants the awards to outstanding Filipino peacekeepers and peacekeeping personnel who have contributed to the strengthening of the Philippines’ participation in UN peacekeeping operations.
Bravery Awards were given to five female peacekeepers previously deployed in the Peacekeeping Missions in India and Pakistan, South Sudan, and in Central African Republic. Service Awards were handed out to six awardees from the AFP Peacekeeping Operations Center and from the UN Peacekeeping Operations Center of the Philippine National Police.
The Gawad Diosdado Macapagal Awards were conferred to three awardees who also contributed to Philippine efforts to UN peacekeeping operations, one of whom is Ambassador Bayani S. Mercado, former NCUNPO Secretary-General.
The International Day of UN Peacekeepers is celebrated annually around the world on the 29th of May in memory of UN peacekeepers who have lost their lives in the cause of peace, as well as a tribute to all the men and women who have served and continue to serve in UN Peacekeeping Operations in honor of their professionalism, dedication and courage. The Philippine observance of the event was made official by Proclamation No. 1755, series of 2009. END