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group of peacekeepers with slogan Invest in Peace
Photo:UN/DPO
 
António Guterres

In an era of rising tensions, peacekeeping is a proven and cost-effective way to restore stability and hope. But it requires steady political backing – and reliable financial support.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres

Invest in Peace

For nearly 80 years, have delivered tangible change to communities across the globe. From Liberia and Namibia to Cambodia, Sierra Leone and Timor-Leste, their presence has been life-saving and transformative in some of the most volatile political and security contexts, guiding countries from conflict towards sustainable peace.

On this International Day, we honour peacekeepers past and present and reaffirm our shared responsibility to respect and strengthen their work. Observed under the theme “” this year’s International Day calls for decisive action to ensure civilian and military peacekeepers have the resources to carry out their vital mandates.

Today,  civilians, military, and police personnel serve in , confronting increasingly complex and interconnected challenges shaped by a shifting geopolitical landscape. In this era of rising tensions, peacekeeping is a proven and cost-effective way to restore stability and hope.

The International Day pays tribute to their unwavering , as well as the resilience of the communities they support. It also solemnly honors the nearly  who have lost their lives in the cause of peace, including 59 in 2025 alone.

Peace Begins with Me Campaign


Join the global movement for peace. Show your support for peacekeepers, community leaders, activists and many others committed to making the world more secure, inspiring us all to take action for peace. Visit the campaign website for more information.

Service and Sacrifice Campaign

 

Peacekeepers make immense sacrifices. They serve at great personal risk and under harsh conditions. Many have paid with their lives. The families of peacekeepers share that sacrifice. This campaign pays tribute to service and sacrifice of peacekeepers who risk their lives every day to protect the communities that they serve.

Events

To mark the International Day at UN Headquarters, the UN Secretary-General will lay a wreath at the Peacekeepers Memorial in honour of fallen peacekeepers at 9:45 a.m. ET on Thursday, 5 June 2026.

Following that, at 10:00 a.m. ET, he will preside over an in-person ceremony at which the  will be awarded posthumously to fallen peacekeepers. He will also present the  award and the UN Woman Police Officer of the Year awards.

The Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations, Jean-Pierre Lacroix, will be the guest at the noon briefing on 5 June.

 

All events can be viewed live on .

Learn more about peacekeeping

peacekeeper bumping fist with local man

Related Websites

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United Nations peacekeeper engaging with children.

The enduring legacy of the over two million UN Peacekeepers, who have served in over 70 missions under the UN flag, lies in the lives saved and the futures rebuilt, not just the conflicts contained. Learn more about how peacekeeping adds value to the communities and countries it serves.

MINUSMA Search and Detect Team Surveys Road in Mali

“To save succeeding generations from the scourge of war" are among the first very words of the UN Charter (in its Preamble), and those words were the main motivation for creating the United Nations, whose founders had lived through the devastation of two world wars by 1945. Since the UN's creation on 24 October 1945 (the date its Charter came into force), the United Nations has often been called upon to prevent disputes from escalating into war, or to help restore peace following the outbreak of armed conflict, and to promote lasting peace in societies emerging from wars.

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International days and weeks are occasions to educate the public on issues of concern, to mobilize political will and resources to address global problems, and to celebrate and reinforce achievements of humanity. The existence of international days predates the establishment of the United Nations, but the UN has embraced them as a powerful advocacy tool. We also mark other UN observances.