On Peace Day, UNIFIL Head Lauds Progress in Achieving Peace in South
“The young children playing in the school yards of Tibnin dreaming of a bright future, men and women going to work every day in Bint Jbeil to support their families and the elderly residents of Naqoura enjoying evening chai with their neighbors as the sun sets over Tyre. These are the people we are here to support so that they and their communities can not only survive but also prosper and to lay the foundations of peace for the coming generations.”
These were the words of the Head of Mission and Force Commander of UNIFIL, Major-General Michael Beary, while addressing a special ceremony organized to mark the International Day of Peace at the U.N. mission’s headquarters in Naqoura on Wednesday.
“I am glad to say that we are making progress,” said Beary, who was joined at the ceremony by representatives of UNIFIL contingents from 40 countries, the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF), local government authorities, and political, religious and civil leaders from across south Lebanon.
The Irish general added that UNIFIL – established in 1978 to confirm the Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon, restore international peace and security, and assist the Lebanese government in restoring its effective authority in south Lebanon – continues to extend its support in laying the foundations of a permanent peace for the civilian population of the area.
Since the end of the 2006 war between Israel and Hizbullah, UNIFIL’s mandate has changed to one of monitoring the cessation of hostilities, supporting the Lebanese Armed Forces in the Mission’s Area of Operations and extending assistance to help ensure humanitarian access to civilian populations and the voluntary and safe return of displaced persons.
“The fact that we are still here in 2016, standing shoulder to shoulder with our LAF and OGL (Observer Group Lebanon) colleagues is an indication of how difficult and elusive peace can be,” said Beary.
While paying tribute to 310 peacekeepers who have given their life in the cause of peace in Lebanon, he said, “It is our responsibility to continue the struggle for peace in south Lebanon so that the sacrifice of the fallen will not be in vain.”
The International Day of Peace was established in 1981 by the U.N. General Assembly. Two decades later, in 2001, the General Assembly unanimously voted to designate the Day as a period of non-violence and ceasefire.
Also on Wednesday, a group of 17 schoolchildren from south Lebanon painted murals on the theme of peace on the walls of the main UNIFIL base in Naqoura.
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