Invest in Peace

Eighty years after its founding on the belief that peace is possible, the United Nations stands at a pivotal moment. While UN Peacekeeping remains a proven and cost-effective instrument for addressing these challenges, it depends on consistent political backing and reliable, sustained financial resources.

Under this year’s theme, Invest in Peace, the United Nations calls for decisive action. Peace does not happen by accident, it requires political will, sustained financing and collective commitment.

Investing in peace saves lives, prevents wider conflict, and reduces far greater humanitarian and financial costs over time. Peacekeeping delivers results by helping protect civilians, reduce violence, prevent spillover, and create space for political solutions.

Today, more than 50,000 civilian, military and police peacekeepers serve in some of the world’s most complex environments, supporting political solutions, protecting civilians, monitoring ceasefires, enabling humanitarian assistance, and addressing threats such as explosive hazards.

As peacekeeping operations face reduced resources, the consequences of underinvestment are increasingly visible, directly impacting the populations they serve and the safety and security of peacekeepers.

The International Day of UN Peacekeepers, marked each year on 29 May, honours their service and sacrifice. We pay tribute to the more than 4,500 peacekeepers who have lost their lives in the cause of peace, including the 68 fallen peacekeepers who will be honored with the Dag Hammarskjöld Medal, 59 who lost their lives in 2025, and nine in previous years.

We also recognize the role of trailblazing women in peacekeeping through the Women Police of the Year Award and the Military Gender Advocate of the Year Award, underscoring the importance of gender-responsive peacekeeping.

Now is the time to invest in peace.