International Day of Solidarity with Detained and Missing Staff Members 2023: Date, History, Facts about Peacekeeping Missions

Every year on March 25, the International Day of Solidarity with Detained and Missing Staff Members is observed. It commemorates the journalist Alec Collett and other United Nations employees who have been kidnapped or murdered over the years. The United Nations established this day to raise global awareness, demand justice, and protect the devoted lives of UN staff and peacekeepers. More than 3,500 United Nations staff members have been killed in conflicts, abductions, and natural disasters.

The background of International Day of Solidarity with Detained and Missing Staff Members

The mission of the United Nations is to promote international peace and security as well as to cultivate goodwill among nations. This day was created to address one of those challenges. Today is a very significant day in the lives of United Nations (U.N.) employees and the global community as a whole.

Hundreds of courageous men and women have sacrificed their lives in service since its inception. This service is frequently centered on the organization’s peacekeeping missions, which typically entail travel to dangerous nations. Therefore, it is not surprising that the 1990s introduced a wave of unrest into the lives of United Nations employees. This was due to the increased demand for United Nations peacekeeping missions. During this period, more personnel deaths occurred than in the previous four decades combined. This generated support for a resolution to safeguard United Nations members. The first of these resolutions was adopted by the United Nations Security Council in 1993, and the Convention on the Safety of United Nations and Associated Personnel was subsequently enacted to protect U.N. personnel.

Alec Collett was a member of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East and a correspondent. (U.N.R.W.A.). In 2009, his corpse was discovered in the Bekaa Valley of Lebanon, where he had been kidnapped by a gunman. The International Day of Solidarity with Detained and Missing Staff Members was established in honor of his kidnapping and to raise awareness about the protection of United Nations staff members as attacks against them intensify.

National Day of Solidarity with Muslim Arab and South Asian Immigrants 2023

5 INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT PEACEKEEPING MISSIONS

According to studies, the United Nations Peacekeeping mission is eight times less cost-effective than the United States military.

In the past 25 years, there have been fewer fatal assaults on peacekeepers.

Over a hundred countries contribute military, police, and civilians to U.N. peacekeeping, which consists of over 110,000 field personnel.

Over 150 million individuals have benefited from the efforts of U.N. peacekeepers.

There have been more than 70 U.N. peacekeeping missions, of which six have been active for more than 26 years.

INTERNATIONAL DAY OF SOLIDARITY WITH DETAINED AND MISSING STAFF MEMBERS DATES

Year	Date	Day
2023	March 25	Saturday
2024	March 25	Monday
2025	March 25	Tuesday
2026	March 25	Wednesday
2027	March 25	Thursday