“Peace doesn’t happen by chance. It is a shared responsibility.”
This is the simple but powerful message on the importance of investing in peace issued by the Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan on the International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers.
Speaking at an official commemorative ceremony in Juba, Anita Kiki Gbeho, stressed the immense harm caused by persistent conflict in South Sudan, with many lives lost and millions of people displaced from their homes.
“Peace requires commitment, collective action, and continuous investment. It means choosing dialogue over division, cooperation over competition, and cohesion over conflict,” she stated.
“That is why it is so important that South Sudan’s leaders resolve differences through inclusive dialogue and political compromise and cease all hostilities to deliver the peace their people so richly deserve.”
In a demonstration of partnership and solidarity, the Humanitarian Affairs Minister, Albino Akol Atak emphasized the Government’s commitment to working closely with UNMISS to ensure that peacekeepers are accorded the necessary cooperation, protection and operational support to carry out their mandate.
He also reiterated the Government’s commitment to securing sustainable peace.
“The Government of the Republic of South Sudan remains committed to the implementation of the peace agreement, national reconciliation, political dialogue, democratic transition, and the creation of conditions necessary for peace and prosperity in our country,” he said.
“We believe that investing in peace today is an investment in the future of our children and generations to come.”
Tribute was paid to the 50,000 peacekeepers serving with courage and commitment in some of the world’s most complex and dangerous environments, and the 4,500 personnel who have given their lives while serving under the UN flag since peacekeeping began.
The 13 UNMISS personnel who passed away in the past year were also remembered, including the late Special Representative of the Secretary-General, Nicholas Haysom.
At a ceremony in New York, the late Sergii Prykhodko, who served as an aviation contractor will be awarded the Captain Diagne Medal for Exceptional Courage after he was killed during an attack on an UNMISS helicopter in Nasir in March 2025.
To honor these colleagues, the UN and South Sudan flags were lowered to half-mast as the Last Post was played at the ceremony.
The efforts of peacekeepers to save and change lives for the better in South Sudan were also highlighted.
Examples included peacekeepers providing sanctuary to more than 2,300 civilians under live gunfire; securing airdrop zones for humanitarian actors and providing escorts to convoys carrying vital supplies to the most vulnerable people in conflict-affected Jonglei; rolling out mobile courts across the country to give victims of crime the justice they deserve; and working alongside partners to progress the country’s transition towards sustainable peace.
UNMISS is facing mounting challenges in carrying out this important work, including the impact of the UN-wide financial crisis which has required a significant reduction in peacekeepers and the closure of bases.
While these financial constraints are likely to continue, Ms. Gbeho said the guiding principle remains clear: “people must come first in all that we do”.
“We pay tribute to the people of South Sudan, who we serve, and who inspire us with their resilience and persistence in the pursuit of peace,” she said.
“Rest assured that we remain committed to helping South Sudan realize its shared vision of a peaceful, stable and prosperous nation where no one is left behind.”
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS).
