UN Secretary-General - Remarks to the Ministerial Meeting on the Future of Peacekeeping.
Dear Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Defence Affairs of the Federal Republic of Germany, our generous hosts. Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, My thanks to Germany for bringing us together at this consequential moment. This year marks the 80th anniversary of the United Nations. Our organization was founded on the conviction that peace is possible if we work as one united human family. That is what our peace operations are about. From preventive diplomacy to peacekeeping… From negotiating ceasefires to helping to implement them… From electoral support and observer missions to de-mining operations and protection of civilians… To the focus of today’s Ministerial meeting — peacekeeping. Excellencies, UN Blue Helmets are the most globally recognized symbol of the world’s ability to come together to help countries move from conflict to peace. Peacekeepers hail from every corner of the world. But they are united in their commitment to peace. As we meet today, UN peacekeepers are hard at w...