Factbox: International Day of UN Peacekeepers 2023

International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers is celebrated globally on 29 May to highlight the tireless efforts of the UN peacekeepers to establish and maintain peace in conflicted areas.

Here are 10 facts about the day:

1. UN peacekeepers, both military and civilians, work in threatening conditions to help various communities avoid war and make peaceful progress.
2. The theme of International Day of UN Peacekeepers 2023 is "Peace Begins With Me." It is part of a global, year-long campaign to demonstrate the impacts of the UN's efforts to maintain peace in conflict situations and zones.
3. The first UN peacekeeping effort commenced in the Middle East in 1948. 2023 marks the 75th year of operation of UN peacekeeping.
4. Over 4200 peacekeepers have lost their lives while serving in conflict situations.
5. On 25 May, the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres laid a wreath in honour of the Peacekeepers who lost their lives over the past 75 years. The ceremony took place at the UN headquarters in New York.
6. The Dag Hammarskjold medal was posthumously awarded to peacekeepers who passed away in 2022.
7. UN Peacekeepers police personnel wear blue caps, helmets and sometimes body armour while serving a community to maintain peace there. Military personnel retain their own but sport blue headgear.
8. The UN considers women peacekeepers vital to its efforts in maintaining peace and ensuring progress in stopping the wars in conflict zones. It seeks to have 20 percent women in formed police units and 30 percent individual police officers in the peacekeeping forces by 2028.
9. India was the first nation in 2007 to deploy an all-women contingent to a UN peacekeeping mission in Liberia.
10. Over 200,000 Indians have served in 49 of the 71 UN peacekeeping missions around the globe. More than 160 have lost their lives during deployment.