‘The true cost of peace’: UN honours fallen peacekeepers as dangers mount

‘The true cost of peace’: UN honours fallen peacekeepers as dangers mount

The commemoration of  the International Day of UN Peacekeepers  came hours after another blue helmet serving with the UN Interim Force in Lebanon ( UNIFIL ) died from injuries sustained in a mortar attack, as hostilities continue between Israeli troops and Hezbollah militants.

The day began with UN Secretary-General António Guterres  laying a wreath at  the Peacekeepers Memorial  on the Secretariat grounds in New York before presiding over a solemn ceremony in the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) attended by senior officials, the diplomatic community, and bereaved family members and colleagues.

UN Photo/Mark Garten

Secretary-General António Guterres attends the wreath laying ceremony in honour of fallen Peacekeepers at the Peacekeeping Memorial at UN Headquarters.

Service and sacrifice

“Unfortunately, as events of this very week remind us,  peacekeepers continue to face peril in the cause of peace – and we pay the highest tribute to their service and sacrifice ,” he  said .

The Secretary-General posthumously bestowed  the Dag Hammarskjöld Medal  on 68 peacekeepers from 33 nations, including 59 who paid the ultimate price last year. Their photos were displayed on a screen and their names read out as country representatives accepted the boxed medals.

“They represent the best of humanity – people prepared to risk everything to keep others safe,” he said.

Bravery awards

Two peacekeepers were rewarded for their bravery, receiving the Captain Mbaye Diagne Medal for Exceptional Courage – named after a Senegalese military officer killed in Rwanda in 1994.

Sergeant Matias Reyes of Uruguay saved lives serving under the UN flag in the restive eastern region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) in January 2025. The Ebola outbreak there prevented him from travelling to New York.

The other recipient, Sergii Prykhodko of Ukraine - a private contractor with a helicopter crew at the UN Mission in South Sudan ( UNMISS ) - sacrificed his life during a dangerous mission to evacuate besieged soldiers in March 2025.

“This medal honours his bravery, but it also reminds us of the true cost of peace – the  sacrifices made by those who serve far from home for the sake of people they may never meet ,” his widow Tetiana Prykhodko told the gathering.

UN Photo/Mark Garten

Secretary-General António Guterres presents an award to the family of Sergii Prykhodko, a Ukrainian peacekeeper who was killed in action.

Putting others first

Speaking afterwards to UN News , she recalled that her husband “always went where help was needed, knowing that danger could be unavoidable,” and had agreed to volunteer with the UN because he wanted to help others.

“He did what he had always done — he put others before himself. And I believe his example of serving peace is an example for all of us,” she said.

Mrs. Prykhodko, who attended the ceremony with their six-year-old daughter Elizabeth, wanted her husband to be remembered for his humanity, courage, and sense of responsibility.

"For our family, it is a great honour that the United Nations remembers Sergii not only as a fallen hero, but as a person who chose humanity every single day."

© UNIFIL

The body of UN peacekeeper, Sergeant-Chef Florian Montorio, is repatriated to his home country.

Courage amid danger

More than 50,000 peacekeepers are currently deployed across the globe where their mandated tasks include protecting civilians, supporting elections, delivering humanitarian assistance and clearing landmines.

“ The courage we recognize this morning is not abstract ,” said the head of UN Peace Operations, Jean-Pierre Lacroix. “It is lived every day by peacekeepers serving in some of the world’s most dangerous and difficult environments.”

The peacekeeper killed in southern Lebanon on Thursday, Sergeant Milovan Jovanović of Serbia, was the  seventh UNIFIL blue helmet cut down  since hostilities escalated in March.

Mr. Lacroix said this was his first peacekeeping deployment, having arrived in the country in January, and he would have turned 37 on Saturday.

Complex environments, multiple challenges

He highlighted how peacekeepers are working in increasingly complex environments marked by rising geopolitical tensions, fragmented conflicts, disinformation, rapidly evolving technologies and growing pressure on multilateral cooperation.

At the same time,  peacekeeping operations face serious financial constraints  resulting from delayed and incomplete payment of mandatory contributions.

The consequences include forced reductions in patrols and air operations, delayed infrastructure projects, and limited support to local communities. Meanwhile, expectations continue to grow.

Invest in peace

“And yet,  peacekeepers continue to deliver ,” he said.

Mr. Lacroix stressed the importance of continued investment in peace, including “ensuring that peacekeepers have the political backing, resources,…