Celebrating Peacebuilding Day, peacekeepers representing UNIFIL’s current 48 troop-contributing countries were joined at the event by representatives of the local authorities, religious leaders, Lebanese armed and security forces, and members of the international community.
UNIFIL’s Head of Mission and Force Commander, Major General Aroldo Lázaro, reviewed an Honor Guard and, together with Brigadier General Roger Helou representing the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF), laid wreaths at the cenotaph in memory of the over 300 UNIFIL peacekeepers who have lost their lives in the line of duty in South Lebanon since 1978.
Lázaro noted, “along the Blue Line, we have seen relative stability, not peace. But thanks to the commitment of the parties and to the effectiveness of UNIFIL’s liaison and coordination mechanisms, so far, that stability has held.”
The UNIFIL Force Commander confirmed the mission’s “commitment to peace and security in south Lebanon” and stressed the “importance of the partnership with the Lebanese Armed Forces in implementing Security Council Resolution 1701,” a UNIFIL statement said.
The International Day of Peace was established by the U.N. General Assembly in 1981. It is dedicated to cease-fire and non-violence. It is an occasion during which all promote tolerance, justice, and human rights.
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