The UN General Assembly (UNGA) adopted a resolution piloted by India for honouring fallen peacekeepers by establishing a memorial wall at the UN Headquarters in New York.
The resolution, which received a record 190 out of 193 co-sponsorships including Pakistan and China, was adopted virtually unanimously. The highest number of co-sponsors received by India earlier was 175 for the International Yoga Day resolution.
UNGA resolution to establish memorial Wall for fallen UN Peacekeepers. India piloted the adoption of a resolution which was co-sponsored by 190 countries. pic.twitter.com/h0LKQ9K6gc
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Overview
The Indian Representative to the UN, Ruchira Kamboj, tabled the draft resolution on Wednesday, which was uploaded on the UN website three weeks ago.
The UNGA welcomed the member states’ initiative to establish a memorial wall within three years. The wall’s planning, construction, upkeep, and maintenance will be funded entirely by voluntary contributions.
To this end, the Assembly invited interested member states to contribute voluntarily. The memorial wall will be included in the solemn ceremonies conducted on the International Day of UN Peacekeepers and other UN peacekeeping-related events.
The resolution welcomed the initiative of member states to “establish at a suitable and prominent place at United Nations Headquarters in New York a memorial wall to honour the memory of fallen peacekeepers, giving due consideration to the modalities involved, including the recording of the names of those who have made the supreme sacrifice.”
Kamboj said that the wall will remind people of the sacrifices of the fallen and will be a “constant reminder of the cost of our decisions.”
"Grateful for everyone's support": PM Modi after UN adopts resolution, piloted by India
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PM Modi Hails Move
Indian PM Narendra Modi first mooted erecting a memorial wall in 2015 and said India was ready to contribute financially to this objective.
India’s Permanent Mission of India to the UN launched a virtual memorial wall dedicated to the UN peacekeepers. Modi expressed happiness at the adoption of the resolution by the UNGA. “Delighted that the Resolution to establish a new Memorial Wall for fallen Peacekeepers, piloted by India, has been adopted in the UN General Assembly,” Modi tweeted.
Indian External Affairs Minister Dr S. Jaishankar also appreciated the adoption of the resolution and expressed gratitude to the member states who co-sponsored the resolution.
India has been the most significant contributor to UN Peacekeepers, with more than 2,60,000 troops over six decades. India has deployed 6,000 military and police personnel to Abyei, the Central African Republic, Cyprus, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Lebanon, the Middle East and Western Sahara. In more than 49 missions, 177 Indian peacekeepers have lost their lives, the highest number from any troop-contributing country.