London: Liberia, others honor UN peacekeepers
Posted by admin on Tuesday, May 31, 2016 · Leave a Comment
Charges d’ Affaires Genevieve A. Kennedy with other dignitaries at the ceremony
Liberia joined members of the diplomatic community in London, the United Kingdom, on Wednesday, May 25 to pay homage to the gallantry of United Nations Peacekeepers in ensuring global peace and security.
The event included a parade by heads of missions and military representatives of UN member countries and was climaxed by the laying of wreaths at the Glorious Dead Monument in London, close to the venue of the first meeting of the UN General Assembly in 1946, a dispatch from the Liberian embassy in London said.
The dispatch, from Albert Kjlatoe Jaja, Minister Counsellor/ Press and Public Affairs at the embassy, noted that the service of remembrance at the Whitehall was organized by the United Nations Association of the United Kingdom (UNA-UK) to commemorate the International Day of Peacekeeping under the UN flag.
Diplomats gather at the event
The Charge d’ Affaires ad interim at the Embassy of The Republic of Liberia accredited to the Court of Saint James, Ms. Genevieve A. Kennedy, who performed the wreath-laying at the Glorious Dead Monument on behalf of Liberia, recounted the heroic contributions of UN Peacekeepers in planting the seeds of peace and democratic transformation that continue to produce useful fruits across every sphere of the Liberian society.
Liberia, reputed as a post conflict success story, under the dynamic stewardship of Her Excellency President Ellen Johnson Sirelaf, has moved to reclaim its place in the comity of nations; with a fledging democratic environment that has conducted two successful elections, extended the reach of infrastructural development, while consolidating its contribution to global peace, with a contingent of the restructured Armed Forces of Liberia posted to Mali under the United Nations flag.
Charges d’ Affaires Kennedy during the parade
The head of the UNA-UK David Wardrop reflected on UN Peacekeepers and their selfless contributions towards global peace .
“Let us remember those who have laid down their lives in lands far from their own in the service of peace. They came from 123 countries. They are mourned in 194. They chose to serve their country. Their country chose them to serve the world, to serve us” he asserted.
UNA-UK Chair David Wardrop chats with members of the band of the Royal Engineering Corps
The ceremony also honoured the dedication of 120,000 uniformed and civilian personnel serving under the United Nations Flag.
The ceremony was an ideal platform for Liberia to pay tribute to the role of UN Peacekeepers, for securing the environment for peace and democratic governance; as Liberia and the United Nations coordinate the conclusion of a successful presence in the country.
