KATHMANDU: United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has posthumously honored Nepali peacekeeper Bhupajit Rai with the Dag Hammarskjold Medal.
Rai had served in the UN Stabilization Mission in Congo.
At a ceremony held at the UN Headquarters on Thursday to mark the International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers, Secretary-General Guterres presented the honor to Lok Bahadur Thapa, the Permanent Representative of Nepal to the UN.
Highlighting Rai’s bravery, dedication, and devotion, the Secretary-General expressed confidence that Rai would remain an inspiration for all peacekeepers.
Rai passed away in Congo on October 13 last year.
The International Day of UN Peacekeepers has been observed since 1948, marking the deployment of military observers to the Middle East to supervise the implementation of Israel-Arab Armistice Agreements, which became the United Nations Truce Supervision Organization.
Since then, more than two million peacekeepers from 125 countries have served in 71 operations worldwide.
Currently, about 76,000 women and men are serving in 11 conflict zones across Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Middle East.
Nepal is the largest contributor of military and police personnel to UN peace operations, with more than 6,000 personnel now serving in Abyei, the Central African Republic, Cyprus, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Iraq, Kosovo, Lebanon, Libya, the Middle East, Somalia, South Sudan, Western Sahara, and Yemen.
The Nepalese government deploys personnel from the Nepal Army, Armed Police Force, and Nepal Police as peacekeepers.
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