India biggest contributor of Personnel to UN Peace-keeping Missions
By R Anil Kumar
India, with its cultural heritage rooted in “Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam”, builds more effective peacebuilding and peacekeeping programmes
India has never initiated war. On the contrary, India has played a significant role in UN Peacekeeping Missions contributing more troops than any other country, with over 2,87,000 personnel serving in 49 of the 72 UN missions since 1948. As of January 2024, around 5,900 Indian troops are deployed across 12 UN peacekeeping missions. The Indian Army soldiers have made significant sacrifices, with over 160 soldiers having lost their lives in the line of duty, showcasing India’s sustained participation and commitment to UN peacekeeping. This credibility provides India with the opportunity to offer its thought leadership in advancing the UN peacekeeping agenda.
India has contributed services of approximately 2,87,000 troops to peacekeeping missions. Indian Army personnel have operated under difficult, challenging terrain and operational conditions and have displayed exemplary courage and valour, to the extent of making the supreme sacrifice to uphold the UN mandates.
These personnel are deployed across 12 UN peacekeeping missions across the world
This year’s theme, “Fit for the future, building better together,” recognises the vital contributions of civilian, military, and law enforcement peacekeepers.
UNITED NATIONS, May 29. India sent the highest number 5,901 of military personnel for United Nations peace-keeping missions as of December 31, 2023, data released by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) showed.
India is followed by Nepal with 5,878 personnel, Uganda with 5,764, and Bangladesh with 5,393. India’s neighbour Pakistan ranked seventh with 4,299 personnel deployed for UN peacekeeping.
Traditionally, India has always been among the biggest contributor of UN peacekeepers. Since 1950, approximately 2, 86,000 Indian soldiers have served in the UN across the globe.
About 159 of the total 177 Indian brave-hearts who have made the ultimate sacrifice in the pursuit of peace, have been from the Indian Army.
On May 13, the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict claimed its first UN staffer victim when Waibhav Anil Kale, age 46, died when an incoming projectile hit his UN-marked vehicle when it was travelling from Rafah near the conflict-torn Gaza to the European Hospital in nearby Khan Younis.
A retired colonel of the Indian Army, Kale was the UN security service coordinator who had joined the organisation in Gaza two months ago.
From the deployment in a Field Hospital in Korea in 1950 to its current role as a major contributor to complex and multifaceted missions, crucial for the advancement of global peace and security, India’s role in the UN has also changed.
UN peacekeeping missions are mandated under Article 99 by which the Secretary General is granted the authority to independently address potential global conflicts or threats. Also seen as a very robust diplomatic tool, it is also a way in which the Secretary General flags the issue to the UN Security Council.
It is by this mandate that UN peacekeeping contingents were deployed in Congo in 1960, Tunisia in 1961, Bangladesh in 1971 when the country was created, UN peacekeeping troops were also involved in the release of American hostages held by the Iran militia in 1979. They were brought in during the escalating civil war in Lebanon in 1989, Bosnia-Herzegovina, many other places and the most recent one in 2023 to warn the UN Security Council that a war was brewing in Israel.
The UN was formed on the failed legacy of the League of Nations and a fractured world torn apart by war. It was formed to save the future generations from the scourge of war. And if wars do break out, the UN’s role is to prevent the worst atrocities that can happen and bring in the application of international humanitarian law.
The functions of UN peacekeeping operations range from maintaining peace and security to escorting humanitarian relief, to uphold human rights, supporting the fight against gender-based violence and to assist in the restoration of rule of law and to face the complex crises of today from climate change to pandemic.
UN Peacekeepers Day:
Ruchira Kamboj lauds India’s contribution to global peace and security
Ruchira Kamboj, India’s Permanent Representative on the United Nations praised the nation’s remarkable contributions to global peace and security, on the occasion of International Day of UN Peacekeepers.
She emphasised the unwavering bravery of Indian peacekeepers in safeguarding vulnerable communities worldwide. Kamboj paid tribute to those who sacrificed their lives while serving as UN peacekeepers, acknowledging their “ultimate sacrifice under the blue flag” in the pursuit of peace.
She expressed pride in the recognition of Indian peacekeeper Major Radhika Sen, who received the UN Gender Military Advocate Award for her outstanding service and leadership in Congo.
“Countless Indian peacekeepers have made the ultimate sacrifice under the blue flag, laying down their lives in the pursuit of peace. Their deep commitment to bringing solace to those devastated by conflict stands as a pillar of hope and humanity.
This year, we are particularly honoured to receive the UN Gender Military Advocate Award…a powerful testament to India’s steadfast dedication to gender equality and the invaluable role of women in peacekeeping,” she said.
Kamboj highlighted India’s contributions beyond operational deployments, noting that the nation’s think tanks, drawing from extensive experience, contribute to the latest ideation and strategic thinking in peacekeeping, ensuring innovative and effective approaches.
She also emphasised the importance of pre-deployment training at the Centre for United Nations Peacekeeping in New Delhi, which prepares both Indian peacekeepers and their international counterparts to face challenges with resilience and empathy.
The International Day of UN Peacekeepers pays tribute to the service, sacrifice, and resilience of peacekeepers and the communities they serve.
It honours the more than 4,000 peacekeepers who have lost their lives in the pursuit of peace over the past 70 years.
This year’s theme, “Fit for the future, building better together,” recognises the vital contributions of civilian, military, and law enforcement peacekeepers.
