United Nations marks the anniversary of the entry into force in 1945 of the UN Charter, 24 October has been celebrated as UN day since 1948. In 1971, the UN General Assembly recommended that the day be observed by the member states as a public holiday. Pakistan’s contribution to global peace, stability and prosperity while upholding the principles of the UN Charter, has been exemplary.
Pakistan’s commitment and participation in the UN is across-the-board. It has actively participated in discussions at the UN on a host of issues including human rights, development, environment, climate change, and international law. Pakistan is committed to a world in which upholding human dignity is the highest value and maintaining global peace a sacred duty. Over the last 75 years, Pakistan has put this vision into practice by making significant contributions to the principles and purposes of the UN Charter, in particular the promotion and maintenance of international peace and security, as a member of the Security Council and through its contribution to UN peacekeeping. It has been an ardent advocate of multilateralism and the primacy of the UN in international affairs.
Pakistan joined the UN on September 30, 1947, just over a month after its independence. It has been involved in various UN conferences and its specialized agencies. It has been elected seven times from 1952 to 2013 in the UN Security Council. Pakistan’s journey with UN Peacekeeping began in July 1960, when it deployed its first contingent in UN Operations in Congo. With nearly 4,462 uniformed personnel serving in some of the most dangerous UN missions, such as in the Central African Republic and Mali, Pakistan is the sixth largest contributor to UN Peace operations.
On 29 March 2022, at least eight UN peacekeepers, including six Pakistani soldiers, were martyred when a helicopter crashed on a reconnaissance mission in Congo. To mark the date at the UN headquarters in New York on 26 May 2022, the Secretary-General laid a wreath in honor of all peacekeepers who lost their lives while serving under the UN flag over the past seven decades. The UN posthumously honored 117 peacekeepers from around the world, including six Pakistanis, in a special ceremony in connection with the Day of the UN Peacekeepers.
Keeping in view, of the international community’s confidence in Pakistan’s policies and its contribution to the national and global human rights agenda and strong credentials as a consensus builder in HRC, Pakistan was re-elected to the UN Human Rights Council on 13 October 2020, with an over the whelming majority, securing 169 votes in the 193 member UN General Assembly.
Participation in UN peacekeeping operations is now a tenet of Pakistan’s foreign policy. It takes its inspiration from the policy statement of the founder of the nation that Pakistan wants peace with all nations of the world, Quaid-e-Azam said: “We are prepared to make our utmost contribution to the promotion of peace and prosperity among the nations of the world. Pakistan will never be found lacking in extending its material and moral support to the oppressed and suppressed peoples of the world and in upholding the principles of the UN Charter.”
Pakistan’s dedication towards the UN has been recognized by the fact that UN Secretary-General Mr. Ban Ki Moon himself inaugurated CIPS and acclaimed Pakistan’s efforts in these words: “The feeling that overwhelms me is gratitude: gratitude as the UNSG and gratitude as a global citizen for what Pakistan and her people have been doing for international peace and security. More than 100 countries contribute troops and police for UN peacekeeping missions. Pakistan is number one. It is impossible to speak about the history of UN peacekeeping without highlighting such contributions of Pakistan.”
