By Yoshita Singh

United Nations, May 24 (PTI) Two Indian peacekeepers were among 117 military, police and civilian personnel honoured here today with a prestigious UN medal awarded posthumously for courage and sacrifice in the line of duty.

Rifleman Brijesh Thapa who served with the UN Organisation Stabilisation Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) and Private Ravi Kumar who was deployed with the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) posthumously received the Dag Hammarskjöld Medal on the International Day of UN Peacekeepers observed today.

The two laid down their lives while serving in UN peacekeeping operations last year.

Indias Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Syed Akbaruddin received the medal on behalf of the fallen Indian peacekeepers at the solemn ceremony.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres laid a wreath to honour all fallen peacekeepers and presided over the ceremony where the Dag Hammarskjold Medal was awarded to 117 military, police and civilian personnel from 43 nations who lost their lives while serving in peacekeeping operations during 2016.

In his tribute, Guterres said continuous attacks against peacekeepers remind the international community of the dangerous conditions in which the troops and military and civilian personnel work.

"In the modern times in which people talk about branding, peacekeeping is the most important element of the UN branding, the most important aspect of the UN image," he said at the Dag Hammarskjöld Medal ceremony.

He underscored that UN peacekeepers sacrifice their lives to improve the lives of others and to contribute to peace.

"UN peacekeeping is one of international communitys most effective investments to support peace, security and prosperity. There are risks when deploying peacekeepers to a crisis area but inaction may carry even greater risks," he said.

He emphasised on the need to continue investing in the safety of UN peacekeepers, including through modern technology and equipment and better intelligence gathering.

In paying his respects to the courageous peacekeepers, Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations Jean- Pierre Lacroix said it is "critical that we continue to invest in peace and make every effort to carry forward their noble work, and that we continue to pursue reform efforts to make UN peacekeeping more efficient and effective. That is the best way we can honour the memories and sacrifices of our fallen peacekeepers.?

Under-Secretary-General for Field Support Atul Khare said that UN peacekeeping is an investment in global peace, security and prosperity, and remains the most reliable and used tool by the international community to help countries torn by conflict create conditions for lasting peace.

"We are continuing to work hard to ensure that UN peacekeeping is fit for purpose, performance-driven and cost- efficient. These efforts, coupled with the implementation of the Secretary-Generals reform of our peace and security architecture, enable us to deploy uniformed and civilian peacekeepers in difficult and challenging environments around the world in an efficient and an effective manner," he said.

Currently more than 96,000 uniformed personnel from 124 troop and police-contributing countries serve under the blue flag, alongside more than 15,000 international and national civilian staff and nearly 1,600 United Nations Volunteers.

India is the largest cumulative troop contributor, having provided almost 200,000 troops in nearly 50 of the 71 peacekeeping missions mandated over the past six decades, including 13 of the current 16 missions.

So far, about 168 Indian troops have made the supreme sacrifice in the line of duty under the UN Flag.

India currently deploys more than 7,600 military and police personnel to UN peace operations in Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Haiti, Lebanon, Liberia, the Middle East, South Sudan, Sudan and the Western Sahara.

The International Day of UN Peacekeepers was established by the General Assembly in 2002 in a tribute to all men and women serving in peacekeeping operations for their high level of professionalism, dedication and courage and to honour the memory of those who have lost their lives in the cause of peace.

The General Assembly had designated May 29 as the commemoration day because it was the date in 1948 when the United Nations Truce Supervision Organisation (UNTSO), the world body?s first peacekeeping mission, began operations in Palestine.

Since the first UN peacekeeping mission in 1948 until April 2016, 3,400 military, police and civilian personnel have lost their lives in the service of peace as a result of acts of violence, accidents and disease.

Commemorative activities will be held at the world bodys headquarters and at peacekeeping operations and offices around the world.

The Dag Hammarskjold Medal was established in December 2000 and is awarded posthumously to members of peacekeeping operations who lost their lives during service with a peacekeeping operation under the operational control and authority of the United Nations.

The medal is named after the second UN Secretary General, who had died in a mysterious 1961 plane crash. He was posthumously awarded a Nobel Peace Prize the year he died. PTI YAS PMS