Kinshasa, 29 May 2013 – United Nations Peacekeepers are, for obvious reasons, well known by the Congolese population. They have indeed been part of their daily lives for several decades and, in large population centres or remote areas of the country, they are not a source of curiosity. During these long last years, there have been many sacrifices by both builders of peace and the Congolese people in order to put an end to the instability in the country, which is due to the prevailing insecurity, including in eastern DRC. Every year, a special day, May 29, is devoted to these missionaries of peace to acknowledge their efforts and pay tribute to those who have lost their lives to bring back peace in conflict areas.

This year, the International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers was celebrated in the DRC with several activities. The programme included traditional activities carried out on such an occasions. Also, anthems of the United Nations and the host country were played, a message by the Secretary-General of the United Nations was read, peacekeepers paraded and other more original activities specific to the situation were carried out. The programme of the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) included the unveiling of a commemorative plaque as a tribute to peacekeepers who lost their lives while serving in the country, as well as an open day at MONUSCO Police headquarters, free consultations for prisoners at Ndolo prison in Kinshasa, and the inauguration of a quick impact project within the prison.

In 2013 the theme was: "United Nations Peacekeeping: Adapting to new challenges". MONUSCO is currently adapting to several challenges. In order to better address the insecurity prevailing in eastern DRC, the United Nations Security Council adopted Resolution 2098, on 27 March 2013. This Resolution renewed the Mission's mandate to protect civilians, with the deployment of a Force Intervention Brigade to neutralize armed groups operating in the east – and this is a first in the United Nations' history. "This is currently the most robust mandate ever given by the Security Council to a United Nations peacekeeping mission" declared Mr. Hervé Ladsous, Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, during one of his visits to the DRC.

To provide better opportunities for peace, the United Nations are continuously supporting the efforts deployed in the subregion in the quest for peace. As part of these efforts, following the signing in Addis Ababa on 24 February 2013 of the Peace, Security and Cooperation (PSC) Framework for the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the region, the Secretary-General of the United Nations appointed Mrs Mary Robinson as his Special Envoy for the Great Lakes Region, not only to ensure that the engagements of the Framework be respected by all parties, but also to ensure its implementation. The PSC Framework is all the more important since it was signed by 11 Heads of State of the region, in the presence of the Chairperson of the African Union (AU) Commission, the Chairperson of the Southern African Development Community (SADC), the Chairperson of the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR) and the Secretary-General of the United Nations, acting as witnesses.

Penangnini Toure/ MONUSCO