UNITED NATIONS, 15 Jun: The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) has adopted by consensus a draft resolution piloted by India to establish a memorial wall in the UN headquarters here to honour fallen peacekeepers.
The passage of the resolution in the UNGA on Wednesday with a record 190 co-sponsorships came days ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s official state visit to the United States and his participation in the International Yoga Day celebrations at the United Nations headquarters on 21 June.
India’s permanent representative to the UN, Ambassador Ruchira Kamboj introduced the draft resolution titled ‘Memorial Wall for Fallen United Nations peacekeepers’ on Wednesday in the UNGA Hall and it was adopted by consensus.
It welcomed the initiative of member states to “establish at a suitable and prominent place at United Nations headquarters in New York a memorial wall to honour the memory of fallen peacekeepers, giving due consideration to the modalities involved, including the recording of the names of those who have made the supreme sacrifice.”
While introducing the resolution, Kamboj said that the memorial wall will be a testimony to the importance that the UN bestows on peacekeeping.
She said it will remind people of not only the sacrifices of the fallen but also be a “constant reminder of the cost of our decisions.”
India is currently the third largest contributor of uniformed personnel to UN peacekeeping with more than 6,000 military and police personnel deployed to Abyei, the Central African Republic, Cyprus, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Lebanon, the Middle East and Western Sahara.
About 177 Indian peacekeepers have made the supreme sacrifice, the highest number by far from any troop-contributing country.
The resolution was submitted by 18 countries, including Bangladesh, Canada, China, Denmark, Egypt, France, India, Indonesia, Jordan, Nepal, Rwanda and the US. (PTI)