On December 11 2002, the General Assembly designated May 29 as the International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers. The day is intended to pay tribute to all the men and women who have served and continue to serve in United Nations peacekeeping operations for their high level of professionalism, dedication and courage, and to honor the memory of those who have lost their lives in the cause of peace.

The 18 current peace operations directed and supported by the United National Department of Peacekeeping Operations represents a record number of peacekeeping missions in increasingly dangerous places. May 29 marks a day to pay tribute to the UN Peacekeepers but also highlight the shortfall in U.S. contributions will soon add up to over $1 billion.

The Price of Peace Campaign is working with other organizations and constituencies to get the U.S. government to address this shortfall: “The expansion of UN peacekeeping reflects the growing recognition around the world that working together on behalf of peace is a fair and effective way of stemming conflict… Multilateral cooperation is in the interest of all nations because it ensures that no one nation bears every burden, pays every bill, or takes every risk. For all of these reasons, it is essential that nations live up to their commitments and support the UN peacekeeping missions that they have authorized.

The President’s budget request short-changes UN peacekeeping by $500 million. Coupled with the more than $500 million the U.S. owes in unpaid bills to UN peacekeeping, the United States could soon owe more than $1 billion to the United Nations. And the United States is adding to this debt at the same time it is actively pushing for new and expanded peacekeeping missions in some of the most dangerous conflict zones in the world, including Darfur, Lebanon, Chad, the Central African Republic, and Somalia. “Peace. It’s cheaper than war.”

International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers 2007 Official Website