South Africa first provided peacekeepers to the United Nations in 1999 when it joined the UN Organization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUC). It has been a consistent contributor ever since. Today, South Africa provides 1,189 military and police personnel to UN Peacekeeping making it the 15th largest contributor among all UN Member States. More than 1,100 still serve in the DR Congo with MONUSCO, the successor mission to MONUC. Here,  a member of the MONUC’s South African parachute battalion on patrol duties around the village of Ntamugenga.

Another early deployment of South African peacekeepers was with the United Nations Operation in Burundi (ONUB). Throughout ONUB’s three- year mandate (2004-2006) South Africa was one of the mission’s largest contributors – providing nearly 20 per cent of the mission’s uniformed personnel. Here, South African peacekeepers take part in a military exercise in Burundi’s Bujumbura province. 

South Africa has historically been one of the largest contributors of women military and police personnel to the UN Peacekeeping. Today, South Africa contributes 230 women ‘blue helmets’ ranking it 6th among all UN Member States. In the words of Secretary-General Antonio Guterres: “Our women peacekeepers help improve operations and performance; ensure better access to the local communities; prevent and reduce conflict and confrontation; and serve as role models. To put it simply – more women peacekeepers means more effective peacekeeping.”  Here, South African women peacekeepers who served with the United Nations – African Union Mission in Darfur (UNMAMID) celebrate their national Women’s Day in Kutum, North Darfur.

In addition to its contribution of military personnel to UN Peacekeeping, South Africa has also provided police, including senior officers. One of them, Hester Paneras, served as the Police Commissioner of the former UN-AU Mission in Darfur (UNAMID). While there, she presided over one of the largest police components in UN Peacekeeping’s history, with 3,500 international police officers reporting to her – most of them men. Here, Commissioner Paneras celebrates the opening of two new classrooms for a secondary school for displaced girls living at the Zam Zam camp in North Darfur. The construction was sponsored by UNAMID’s Turkish contingent.

Throughout South Africa’s decades-long participation in UN Peacekeeping it has provided a variety of military personnel – including infantry troops and engineers as well as aviation and medical units. They all play a vital role in the success of UN Peacekeeping.  Here, South African medical personnel serving with the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) take part in a female engagement patrol which visited villages near Beni to gather information on the security situation facing the local civilian population.

Wherever South African peacekeepers have served they have done so with courage and with compassion for the local people they are deployed to help. Here, South African peacekeepers serving with MONUSCO partner with local organizations to provide medical and nutritional care to orphaned and otherwise vulnerable children in North Kivu province.

South Africa has helped meet a critical need of UN Peacekeeping – the provision of aviation capacity. To meet the complex challenges facing UN peacekeeping -- such as maintaining safety, security and stability -- the deployment of military aviation assets can contribute decisively towards successful achievement of the Mission’s mandate including the protection of civilians. Aviation units also carry out medical evacuation and search and rescue operations. Here, members of MONUSCO’s South African Aviation Unit stand in formation at a ceremony at which they will be awarded the UN Medal for their service to peacekeeping before they return to their family and friends back home.