The UN observes May 29 as the International Day of Peacekeepers to honour men and women who have shown dedication and courage to bring about peace and security in the world. These men and women serve in hostile countries. Many of them have even sacrificed their lives for the cause of peace in the world.
What makes a peacekeeper going in the middle of hardship and frustration?
In an email interview, R Kannan, who is a peacekeeping civilian officer in Kosovo, narrates how he finds life fulfilling in a hostile region.
What is the main issue the peacekeepers face?
Peacekeepers have to monitor a fragile peace always. And the living conditions are very harsh.
The peacekeepers’ mandates are usually based on the cooperation of the parties on whose invitation they are there to help, build, assist and monitor peace.
Tell us something about your experience as a peacekeeper and the hardships you have faced.
As a peacekeeping civilian official, I have had both fulfilling and frustrating experiences. I consider the frustration as a hardship. Yes. The living conditions are frequently bad, but one learns to live like the host citizens from whose hands people like me eat from.
I have been able to help in a small manner to better the lives of some families in the pursuit of our mandates while I have also realised my inability to do more without a holistic solution to the problems facing the polity.
The UN has been observing the International Day of Peacekeepers from 2003 onwards. How has it helped the peacekeepers?
The marking of the International Peacekeepers Day has helped draw attention to the valiant and noble work that peacekeepers from various countries and persuasions do for a fractured society.
How has the presence of UN peacekeepers changed the situation in Kosovo?
The UN has helped transition of Kosovo from a post-conflict situation to stable country so that it could rebuild and prosper.
The UN built transitional institutions of self-government, helped the Kosovo people to focus on their day-to-day lives and create an environment of peace in which the parties could negotiate issues that divide them.