Events

UN Volunteers Kosovo celebrated the first International Peacekeepers Day
By Angela Griep

On 29 May 2003 the United Nations Interims Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) celebrated the first International Peacekeepers Day with several activities and an exhibition where different sections and units of UNMIK presented their work to a local and international audience. UN Volunteers, UNMIK, joined the event with a big photo exhibition and UN Volunteers organized the children’s arts and crafts, and face painting tent.

International Peacekeepers Day was created by the United Nations in celebration of all, who have served or still serve in UN peacekeeping operations and to honor those who lost their lives in cause of peace. The date of the 29 May was chosen because the first UN peacekeeping mission commenced operations on this day - 29 May 1948, in Palestine.

UNMIK celebrated this special day with several activities which included: a chess tournament, basketball games, a classical music concert, discussions between different ethnic groups, seminars on peacekeeping, and a big party in all five regions of Kosovo. 12 international UNMIK staff members, who were nominated for their outstanding contribution to the mission, visited several schools throughout Kosovo to talk about their experience as peacekeepers. The Special Representative to the Secretary General, Mr. Michael Steiner, as well as Kosovo’s President and Prime Minister gave speeches at the event.

The UNV Support Unit set up a photo exhibition highlighting the contributions of UN Volunteers to the mission. The Photo Exhibition was displayed in the “UNV Tent” staffed by UN Volunteers, who informed visitors about the types of contributions they and other volunteers were making to the mission. UN Volunteer, Luljeta Duraku, who works in the Department of Public Information, organized the “Children’s Tent” and along with several UN Volunteers, volunteered their time to do face painting, arts and crafts and make tattoos for Kosovo’s children at the exhibition site. “I think International Peacekeepers Day was a good opportunity to highlight volunteering in Kosovo”, summarized Christine Botejue-Kyle, UNV Programme Manager, of the event. “Many people visited our tent, locals as well as internationals. Most of them were very interested in learning more about UN Volunteers activities in general and were quite surprised we had so many volunteers working in Kosovo.”

For more information about International Peacekeepers Day, please visit www.un.org/events/peacekeepers/docs/press.htm.