Citizens of Bosnia & Herzegovina have reason to be disappointed by UN efforts two decades earlier. However, the work and mandate of more recent UN peacekeeping efforts have allowed for a more effective interjection of peace making as well as peacekeeping. Ivory Coast is a more positive example, even with incidents of massacres. (Ivory Coast could have continued much longer and in a considerably worse direction of prolonged ethnic cleansing). Currently the UN is experiencing a renaissance in its role in many hot spots around the world. It is perhaps a poor reflection on the current global climate, but also is indicative of a re-emergence of demands for reforms. In places from Libya to Sudan, the UN is playing a critical role, and probably more effective.And, of we need more proof of the dangers and sacrifices, an Italian peacekeeper was killed just today in Lebanon and four others wounded seriously. --- Deployment of Peacekeepers Reflects Shared Belief That People Who Have Suffered War Should Never Have to Suffer Again, Says Secretary-General (The following is the text of UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s message for the International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers, observed on 29 May): “The tragedies that have befallen United Nations peacekeepers already this year are a sobering reminder of the risks entailed in their important work for peace. As we mark the International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers, we pay tribute to the more than 120,000 military, police and civilians serving worldwide under the blue flag and remember those who lost their lives in the cause of peace. In recent months, the United Nations has suffered a series of tragedies in rapid succession. In early April, seven personnel were murdered in an attack on a United Nations compound in Afghanistan. Just a few days later, 32 lives, many of them United Nations staff, were lost in the crash of a plane serving the United Nations peacekeeping operation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. These incidents added to others involving fatalities around the world, and followed the painful events of last year, when 173 peacekeepers lost their lives due to natural disasters, violence, accidents and disease, including more than 100 in the single, terrible blow of the January earthquake in Haiti. As we remember the heavy sacrifices of our staff, we also hail their accomplishments. From supporting the Southern Sudan referendum to helping resolve the post-electoral crisis in Côte d’Ivoire, from supporting training, capacity-building and institutional development of police in Timor-Leste to patrolling the hills of southern Lebanon, United Nations blue helmets have represented the Organization at its best: restoring stability; fostering reconciliation; and nurturing hope for a better future. Their deployment is a manifestation of our collective conviction that people who have survived a war should not have to suffer again through a period of insecurity, injustice and fear — and that only by removing these conditions can we engender lasting peace. Upholding the rule of law, the theme of this year’s Day, is essential to successful peacekeeping. This requires strengthening confidence in police, justice systems and correctional services. That is why the United Nations trains police to never abuse their power, supports the proper functioning of courts to serve justice, and works for humane conditions of detention." Related Reports at United Nations TV Channel - diplomaticallyincorrect.org/c/united-nations/most_recent/3 ---“Why Women Peacekeepers” - diplomaticallyincorrect.org/films/movie/why-women-peacekeepers/25903 ---“Peacekeeping & Rule of Law” - diplomaticallyincorrect.org/films/movie/peacekeepingrule-of-law/26583 By Ambassador Muhamed Sacirbey Face Book at “Diplomatically Incorrect” Twitter - DiplomaticallyX