UN Photo/YN (left); Scott Kelly/NASA (right)

UNISPACE+50: Space for better future

In this photo story, we take you through the journey that began in 1958 with the UN General Assembly resolve that “outer space should be used for peaceful purposes only.”

Indonesia commits to eliminate all forms of child labour by 2022

World Oceans Day

Woman elected as head of UN General Assembly for fourth time in 73 years

In Mali, UN Peacekeepers help maintain a fragile peace agreement

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Contribution of men and women recognized as UN peacekeeping marks 70th anniversary

Contribution of men and women recognized as UN peacekeeping marks 70th anniversary

UN Emergency Force (UNEF) in the Sinai Peninsula.

Major-General Carl C. von Horn (Sweden), Chief of Staff of the UN Truce Supervision Organization (UNTSO), is greeted by Lt. Colonel Souad Kemal, Syrian Liaison Officer.

Major Emilio Altieri (Uruguay) - riding a horse while on patrol along the cease-fire line; here, he exchanges a few words with a group of Kashmiris he met on the way. 1955.

Swedish Units with the United Nations Emergency Force (UNEF) in the Sinai Peninsula, Egypt. 1957.

Members of the Indian contingent of the U.N. Force in the Congo (ONUC) help a wounded Indian Officer into a Swedish armoured vehicle.

Dutch troops, from the United Nations Transitional Authority in Cambodia (UNTAC), guarding a train with refugees returning to Cambodia from camps in Thailand. May 1993.

A peacekeeper from Ghana stands guard during a senior UN official’s visit to Cestos City in 2012. Some 16,000 peacekeepers from over a dozen countries served in Liberia from 2003 to 2018.

UNPOL and Timor Police Investigate Domestic Abuse.

The United Nations Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) delivers elections materials and security personnel ahead of the Haitian elections scheduled for Sunday, January 29, 2016.

Morocco’s longstanding commitment to serving the cause of peace

Morocco’s longstanding commitment to serving the cause of peace

A Moroccan peacekeeper serving with MINUSCA is seen here escorting a UN delegation in Bambari, 400 kilometers north-east of the CAR capital, Bangui, in June 2014.

Doctors from the Moroccan contingent of MONUSCO are seen here in February 2005 treating refugees who fled their homes following fighting in Che, in Ituri province.

A funeral service held in Abidjan in September 2005 for Corporal Aziz Radi, a Moroccan peacekeeper with the UN Operation in Côte d'Ivoire (UNOCI), who died of wounds sustained in an attack by unidentified assailants in Bouake.

Members of the Moroccan battalion of UNOCI distribute water to villagers during a joint patrol with the members of the Licorne Forces – a French military operation in support of UNOCI – in January 2007 in Bouake.

Moroccan peacekeepers with UNOCI unload provisions for people displaced by violence in Duékoué in March 2011. The area was plunged into crisis when fighting erupted between military forces loyal to former Ivorian President Laurent Gbagbo and supporters of the internationally-recognized new president, Alassane Ouattara.

A Moroccan peacekeeper serving with UNOCI is seen here on guard duty in Taï in July 2012 during a visit to the area by the head of the mission.

The Moroccan Guard Unit (MGU) in the Central African Republic during a medal ceremony at its camp in Bangui in August 2014. UN Photo/Catianne Tijerina

Honey for Money: UN peacekeeping patrols support economic lifeline in South Sudan

Honey for Money: UN peacekeeping patrols support economic lifeline in South Sudan

Women in a rural community in conflict-affected South Sudan are hoping to enjoy the sweet rewards of beekeeping and processing honey as the UN peacekeeping mission in the country steps up patrols to boost security in the area.

Thirty-eight-year-old Alice Mamur from Wulu in central South Sudan learnt beekeeping from her father. “I am proud to be a woman working with my own hands to make a living to help my family.”

Beekeepers collect honey in the forest using traditional methods including beehives made from bamboo.

Alice Mamur says that she used to produce honey only for consumption in her home, as an ingredient for beer and for wedding gifts, but now she is hoping to sell it further afield.

A major challenge is getting the honey to market. The ongoing conflict in South Sudan means it has been too dangerous travelling by road. But now, increased patrols by UN peacekeepers in the Wulu area mean the roads are more secure and so trade can flourish.

Local people have more confidence to move around the area. Alice Mamur says that she “feels safe” when she sees UN peacekeepers in her area. But deeper in the forest she sometimes “get harassed by men with guns. They steal our honey, slap us, and sometimes do other things to us.”

The beekeepers of Wulu believe there is a market as long as they can safely transport their product.

As the first World Bee Day is marked on 20 May, they say it is important to build peace so that the honey business can reach its full potential.

Rwanda: Working with the UN to help save lives in the world’s trouble spots

Rwanda: Working with the UN to help save lives in the world’s trouble spots

A Rwandan peacekeeper serving with the mission in Darfur (UNAMID) is seen here during a mission to deliver water to the village of Tora in in April 2010.

The arrival in October 2010 of 89 Rwandan policewomen to the Darfur region of Sudan to serve with UNAMID.

UNAMID Force Commander Lieutenant General Patrick Nyamumbwa of Rwanda (left) celebrates the opening of 10 new classrooms in three primary schools in the Abu Shouk camp for internal displaced people in North Darfur.

Rwandan peacekeepers march at UNAMID’s headquarters in El Fasher during the 2012 commemoration of the International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers.

UNAMID’s Rwandan peacekeepers escort the mission’s staff working on child protection as well as disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration, on a July 2015 trip from El Fasher to Kafoud in North Darfur.

A UNAMID peacekeeper from Rwanda paints a wall at the Alfaki Abdallah Albigawi Basic Level School for girls in El Fasher, North Darfur, as part of the commemoration of the 2011 Nelson Mandela International Day.

Twenty-seven Rwandan police officers serving with the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), including six women, received their service medals during a ceremony held in the capital, Juba, in September 2015.

Rwandan peacekeepers serving with UNMISS work with the local community to construct a new school for children in Kapuri in October 2014.

A Rwandan police officer serving with the UN peacekeeping mission in Mali (MINUSMA) speaks to the local population during a patrol in the northern town of Gao in May 2014.

France: UN founding member and fifth largest financial contributor to peacekeeping

France: UN founding member and fifth largest financial contributor to peacekeeping

Seen here are French peacekeepers with UNIFIL’s demining team at work along the Blue Line in South Lebanon in 2011.

A French peacekeeper with UNIFIL chats with students during French language classes at Burj Qalaway public school, in South Lebanon, in 2013.

A French medic with UNIFIL performs a checkup on a student at Burj Qalaway public school, in South Lebanon, in 2013.

A French peacekeeper with UNIFIL instructs a student during French classes at Burj Qalaway public school, in South Lebanon, in 2013.

Indonesian and French peacekeepers deployed with UNIFIL are seen here conducting a joint patrol along the Blue Line near the town of El Adeisse, South Lebanon, in 2013.

UN police officers from France and Pakistan prepare to conduct a crowd control exercise with members of the Haitian National Police in April 2008.

French UN peacekeepers escort a detained man from a camp for internally displaced persons in Haiti during a security operation carried out by UN military and police along with the Haitian National Police in June 2010.

Female UNIFIL peacekeepers honoured at a ceremony in Tyre, southern Lebanon. The Lebanese National Commission for Lebanese Women (NCLW) presented medals to 17 women peacekeepers, including one from France. .

Seen here are UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and other dignitaries at the Bastille Day parade in commemoration of the 6oth anniversary of UN peacekeeping in Paris on 14 July 2008.

Ethiopia: A leading contributor to UN peacekeeping efforts

Ethiopia: A leading contributor to UN peacekeeping efforts

Ethiopian soldier Tesfaye Asehe, with the African Union-United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur (UNAMID), during a patrol in a camp for internally displaced persons in Gereida, South Darfur, in July 2012.

Ethiopia was among the countries that sent contingents after the Security Council authorized a UN military presence to help restore order and calm in the Republic of the Congo. Troops are seen here in Debre Zeit before departing for Congo in July 1960.

In February 2010, Ethiopia provided five tactical helicopters to the African Union-United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur (UNAMID).

The two boys seen here are chatting with UNAMID peacekeepers from Ethiopia in the volatile Gereida area of South Darfur in July 2012.

Two UNAMID mechanics from Ethiopia – Sergeant Meseret Adera and Corporal Seblewengel Demesse – repair a vehicle at a workshop at the Gereida team site in South Darfur. UNAMID deployed a battalion from Ethiopia to protect civilians in July 2012.

UNAMID troops from Ethiopia and Rwanda escort World Food Programme (WFP) trucks during a trip from El Fasher to Shangil Tobaya, in North Darfur, in February 2014. The journey, nearly 100 kilometres, took more than 8 hours due to difficult road conditions.

Ethiopian peacekeepers during a ceremony to mark the International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers, in May 2016, in Juba, South Sudan. The event was held at the headquarters of the UN Mission in South Sudan under the theme “Honouring Our Heroes."

UNMISS peacekeepers provide protection at designated times to women when they go out of the Protection of Civilians sites to collect firewood and procure other non-food items.

An Ethiopian peacekeeper with UNMISS accompanies internally displaced women as they collect firewood in Juba. Some of the collected firewood will be used for cooking; some will be sold in the market.

Indonesia’s proud history of service to UN peacekeeping

Indonesia’s proud history of service to UN peacekeeping

First Lieutenant Sigit Jatmiko, a member of Indonesia's Formed Police Unit serving with the African Union-UN Hybrid Operation in Darfur (UNAMID), interacts with children in the Abu Shouk camp for displaced persons during his morning patrol. (5 August 2012

A traditional "good-bye" in the Indonesian way by Capt. Andjar Rachman (r), Aide to the Commander of the Garuda II Battalion of the Indonesian National Army, as the Battalion prepared to leave Jakarta to take up duty with the UN Force in the Congo.

Mr. Yudhoyono (right) and then UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon (second from right) don UN blue berets as they look at a display at the Indonesia Peace and Security Centre in Jakarta during the Secretary-General’s visit in March 2012.

Members of the Indonesian contingent of the UN mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA), seen here in August 2014, were among the first to arrive after the Security Council voted to send peacekeepers to help restore order in the country in the af

UN peacekeepers at the launch of a road reconstruction project in Bangui, the capital of the Central African Republic, in September 2014. The construction project was carried out by Indonesian peacekeepers in cooperation with the engineers of the Ministry

Indonesian Engineering Company of the UN Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) rehabilitating the Gada Bridge. Located 74 kilometres from Dungu, this bridge plays a vital role in supporting the local populati

Lieutenant Colonel Yenni Windarti, a member of the Indonesian police unit with UNAMID, interacts with women and children at a water point in the Abu Shouk camp for internally displaced persons during a morning patrol in El Fasher, North Darfur.

In August 2015, the Indonesian battalion hands over a hand water pump in Al Riyad camp for internally displaced persons, in West Darfur.

UNAMID peacekeepers from Indonesia conduct a medical campaign at the Zam Zam camp for internally displaced persons in North Darfur in February 2017, providing free basic check-ups as part of its outreach efforts.

New agricultural heritage sites; farming in harmony with nature

New agricultural heritage sites; farming in harmony with nature

Rice Terraces System in Southern Mountainous and Hilly Areas, Longsheng Longji Terraces, China.

Traditional Mulberry System in Xiajin’s Ancient Yellow River Course, China.

Zhejiang Huzhou Mulberry-dyke & Fish-pond System, China.

Traditional Wasabi Cultivation in Shizuoka, Japan.

Chinampa Agricultural System in Mexico City, Mexico.

Barroso Agro-Sylvo-Pastral System, Portugal.

Malaga Raisin Production System in Axarquia, Spain.

Burkina Faso: a partner for peace in hot spots in Africa and elsewhere

Burkina Faso: a partner for peace in hot spots in Africa and elsewhere

Peacekeepers from Burkina Faso patrol the streets in Ber, a little village 60 km north-east of Timbuktu, in Mali, in April 2014.

Farewell ceremony in honour of six Burkinabe peacekeepers from MINUSMA who died during an ambush on the Goundam-Tombouctou axis, in Mali, in July 2015.

Peacekeepers from Burkina Faso provide security at the entrance of a stadium before the beginning of the match between teams of two neighbourhoods in Timbuktu, Mali, in December 2013.

A UNAMID peacekeeper from Burkina Faso, who is based in Forobaranga, West Darfur (Sudan), checks a map during a patrol to Tamar village, in October 2013.

A UNAMID convoy from Forobaranga, West Darfur (Sudan), escorted by troops from Burkina Faso, goes on patrol to Tamar village, in October 2013.

A dentist from Burkina Faso assists a local patient in the UNAMID base in Forobaranga, West Darfur (Sudan), in October 2013.

Police Superintendent Yvette Boni Zombre from Burkina Faso received the International Female Police Peacekeeper Award in 2016 for her service and achievements in the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA).

Egypt’s service to UN peacekeeping over the decades

Egypt’s service to UN peacekeeping over the decades

Youssif Shalabi, an Egyptian serving with UNAMID, on patrol in Um Kadada in North Darfur in September 2011.

Egyptian peacekeepers with UNAMID distribute water and flour to the local population in Um Kadada (North Darfur) in September 2011.

Doctor First Lieutenant Mohamed Ismad Anwar, a member of the UNAMID Egyptian contingent based in North Darfur, is examines a patient at the clinic at the team site.

An Egyptian peacekeeper prays beside the coffins of two colleagues killed in action in South Darfur in May 2010. Three other peacekeepers were seriously wounded in an ambush carried out by a group of unidentified armed men.

Ahmad Al Gohary, Egyptian peacekeeper of the United Nations Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA)

Ahmad Al Gohary, Egyptian peacekeeper of the United Nations Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA)

An Egyptian peacekeeper observes the activity of the city of Goma, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), from the heights of Mount Goma. Egypt first joined UN peacekeeping in 1960 in the Congo. (January 2016)

An Egyptian battalion patrol in the surroundings of Camp Lieutenant General Jean-Lucien Bauma, which is hosting former FDLR combatants, in Kisangani, in DRC’s Oriental Province. (January 2015)

Troops from the Egyptian Special Forces Contingent serving with the UN mission in the DRC (MONUSCO) carry out tactical training in South Kivu to enhance their responsiveness in dealing with armed groups as outlined in the mission’s mandate. (January 201

Italy: Working with the UN for peace in south Lebanon

Italy: Working with the UN for peace in south Lebanon

Italian peacekeepers serving with the UN mission in Lebanon, known as UNIFIL, patrol the so-called “Blue Line” demarcating the border between Lebanon and Israel.

Members of the Italian Helicopter Wing attached to the peacekeeping mission rush a wounded patient to the UN hospital in Naqoura, in southern Lebanon, for emergency treatment. (1 May 1980)

UN‬ firefighters during an evacuation exercise at a helipad in the mission’s headquarters in Naqoura in 2016. The event was organized to mark the 65th anniversary of the ITALAIR, Italy’s aviation unit.

Italian deminers clear an area close to the Blue Line near Yaroun village. Mine clearance activities are vital to enabling the peacekeeping mission to deploy and carry out its operations. (8 April 2010)

With a smile and a red nose, Warrant Officer Walter Mazzocchi (Italy) brings the healing power of laughter to students in the Ayta Ash Shaab School for Children with Special Needs. (30 March 2013)

Students at the Tyre Public Technical School learn how to slice gnocchi dough during a cooking course offered by the Italian contingent of the UN peacekeeping mission. (5 March 2014)

Capt. Giorgio Battisti (foreground) of Italy reports from the Golan Heights as part of his work with the UN mission tasked with supervising the armistice agreements between Israel and its Arab neighbours, known as UNTSO. (26 April 1973)

A Military Liaison Officer of the UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO), looks through binoculars during a ceasefire monitoring patrol in Oum Dreyga, Western Sahara (June 2010).

Liberia: 15 years of UN peacekeeping

Liberia: 15 years of UN peacekeeping

Former combatants turn in their weapons at Camp Schieffelin, outside Monrovia, during the disarmament campaign.

Liberian voters in Doe Township stand in knee-deep water waiting to cast their vote in the first democratic election since the end of the civil war.

Medical units in the UN mission provide critical health assistance in addition to security, particularly in rural area where existing facilities are inadequate.

Indian contingent of the UN mission, consisting mostly of women, swaps its black beret for the UN blue beret on arrival in Monrovia to begin its tour of duty.

Pakistani peacekeepers teach young Liberians to lay bricks as part of a job training programme offered by the contingent in Tubmanburg.

Newly appointed President of Liberia, George Weah (centre left), walks with former President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf (centre right) during the inauguration ceremony in Monrovia.

Service and Sacrifice: Tanzania’s unwavering commitment to UN peacekeeping

Service and Sacrifice: Tanzania’s unwavering commitment to UN peacekeeping

UN police officers Mwamini Rwantale (Tanzania) and Nyima Barrow (Gambia) interacting with women who receive English classes in the Abu Shouk camp for internally displaced persons in North Darfur.

A woman rides a donkey loaded with water jerry cans, while Tanzanian troops with the Joint UN-African Union mission in Sudan’s Darfur region (UNAMID) conduct a routine patrol in the camp for internally displaced persons in Khor Abeche. (30 June 2014)

UNAMID police officer Grace Ngassa (Tanzania) and Community Policing Volunteer Jazira Ahmad Mohammad interact with a woman in the Zam Zam camp for internally displaced persons in North Darfur.

UNAMID’s police component in West Darfur conducted a training session on baking Tanzanian cakes, known as mandazi, for 30 displaced women from the Abu Zar camp for internally displaced persons.

Tanzanian special forces establish communications with their counterpart forces during an operation in Kalima forest in Rutshuru, Democratic Republic of the Congo in December 2016.

A ceremony in Beni, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, paying tribute to the 14 UN peacekeepers who were killed during an attack on the UN mission’s base in Semuliki.

Pakistan: One of the longest-serving and largest contributors to UN peacekeeping

Pakistan: One of the longest-serving and largest contributors to UN peacekeeping

A Pakistani medical officer serving with the UN Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) examines an infant in a maternity ward in Tubmanburg in February 2009.

Brigadier-General Said-Uddin Khan (right), Commander-in-Chief of the UN Security Force (UNSF) George J. Janecek and several Pakistani Officers viewing the departure of about 100 Pakistani soldiers serving with the UN Security Force in West New Guinea (Wes

Pakistani peacekeepers serving with the UN mission in CAR (MINUSCA) are seen here arriving in the capital, Bangui, in September 2014.

Pakistani troops are seen here providing escort to NGO and media personnel in South Kivu in January 2015.

Farkhanda Iqbel, a Pakistani police officer serving with the Joint UN-AU peacekeeping mission in Sudan’s Darfur region (UNAMID), attends the opening ceremony in March 2014 of the El Raman Women Shopping Centre.

A Pakistani peacekeeper teaching a young Liberian to sew as part of the programme offered in Tubmanburg in May 2010.

Seargent Saif (right), Signal Technician serving with the Pakistani battalion of UNMIL, along with Lt. Shafqat, conduct a five-day computer course for young Liberians in June 2013 at Camp Clara, the battalion’s headquarters outside of Monrovia.

A member of the Pakistani contingent of the UN Operation in Côte d'Ivoire (UNOCI) is seen here providing medical consultations to civilians in Korhogo, in the country’s Poro Region, in May 2014.

Private Johar Nafees (centre), a member of the Pakistani contingent of the UN Mission in Sudan (UNMIS), leads a prayer during the farewell ceremony in Khartoum for Sergeant Nazir Ahmed, who died in the line of duty in October 2006.

Senegal: Partnering for peace with the UN in some of the most challenging places

Senegal: Partnering for peace with the UN in some of the most challenging places

In May 2016, then Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon led a ceremony to award the Captain Mbaye Diagne Medal for Exceptional Courage. Mr. Ban is seen here with Yacine Mar Diop, the widow of Captain Diagne, after he presented her with the inaugural medal.

Senegalese soldiers serving with the African Union-UN Hybrid Operation in Darfur (UNAMID) train at the team site in Um Baro, in North Darfur, in November 2011, where they performed a number of tasks, including protection of civilians.

UN peacekeepers perform a range of duties while on mission, including providing much-needed medical assistance. Doctor Lt. Famara Seck, pictured here, assists a local patient at the clinic of the Senegalese team site in Um Baro, in North Darfur.

Women gather at a women's centre in Kuma Garadayat, constructed by UNAMID peacekeepers from Senegal, in 2012. This centre is one of six development projects, known as Quick Impact Projects, carried out by the Mission in the areas of education, sanitation,

Fellow peacekeepers pay tribute to Brigadier-Chief Diene Racine of Senegal, who was killed in Bangui, Central African Republic in June 2016.

Senegalese police officers serving with the UN mission in Mali (MINUSMA) patrol Mamadou Konaté Stadium during an event organized by the mission to promote peace in January 2016.

Senegal is the largest provider of police to UN peacekeeping, with over 1,200 currently serving in six operations. Seen here is a joint exercise between the Senegalese Formed Police Unit and a Malian Gendarmerie mobile unit at the Gendarmerie School in Ba

Senegalese peacekeepers during a night patrol in Gao, Mali, in May 2017. The patrols provide the soldiers with an opportunity to talk with people they meet on the streets, listen to their concerns and help them.

Captain Mohamed Mbaye of the Senegal Attack Helicopter Unit (SENAHU), which has been deployed in the Central African Republic since November 2015. The Unit carries out a number of tasks to enable the Mission to better protect civilians and peacekeepers as

Uruguay: Helping the UN to keep the peace around the globe for nearly 70 years

Uruguay: Helping the UN to keep the peace around the globe for nearly 70 years

Major Emilio Altieri of Uruguay is seen here on horseback while on patrol along the cease-fire line in Kashmir in January 1955.

A Uruguayan peacekeeper monitoring the situation in Bogoro, in Ituri Province, Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Uruguayan peacekeepers serving in the DRC patrol the town of Pinga to secure the area after the withdrawal of a militia group in December 2013.

Uruguay currently has over 900 peacekeepers in DRC, its largest contingent in UN peacekeeping. Members of the Uruguayan contingent, seen here, carry out a patrol on Lake Albert in October 2006 to prevent the illegal flow of arms between DRC and Uganda.

In addition to UNMOGIP and MONUSCO, Uruguayan peacekeepers currently also serve with the UN missions in Central African Republic and Haiti. Members of the Uruguayan contingent are seen here receiving medals of recognition during a ceremony in Les Cayes,

Uruguayan women and men who serve in UN peace operations help to provide security and promote reconciliation, clear land-mines and demobilize combatants, strengthen institutions and the rule of law, and support elections. Seen here is former Secretary-Gen

Service and Sacrifice: Honouring Nigeria’s contribution to UN peacekeeping

Service and Sacrifice: Honouring Nigeria’s contribution to UN peacekeeping

Two Nigerian female soldiers posted in the Liberian capital, Monrovia.

Voters inspecting ballot papers on election day in Montserrado in October 2005.

UN peacekeepers from Nigeria on an evening patrol in the streets of the capital, Monrovia.

Corporal Memunatu Yahaya during an inspection at the UN base in Monrovia.

Lance Corporal Titilope Adepoju, a female peacekeeper from Nigeria posted in Monrovia, speaks with a relative on video-chat from her base.

Nigerian police officers conduct drills with Congolese recruits and local policemen in Bukavu in May 1963.

Female police officers from Nigeria engaging with local children as they patrol the slum of Martissant in Port au Prince as part of their duties with the UN peacekeeping mission in Haiti in 2009.

Nigerian police patrol the northern Malian city of Timbuktu.

Nigerian UN police officers serving with MINUSMA take part in crowd control training along with Malian police officers at the Ecole Nationale de Police in Bamako.

British commander at UN Mission in South Sudan serves as role model for young women

British commander at UN Mission in South Sudan serves as role model for young women

Caption: Lt. Col. Katie Hislop, the first female contingent commander to serve with the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), greets children in the Bentiu Protection of Civilians site.

Since 1948, thousands of troops from the United Kingdom have taken part in UN peacekeeping operations. More than 100 have paid the ultimate price while defending civilians and supporting operations approved by the UN Security Council. Pictured, UK enginee

Some 600 UK personnel are currently deployed in UN peacekeeping operations, the majority in South Sudan and Cyprus. Their largest presence is currently in South Sudan, where 400 troops, including 41 women, are deployed with the UN mission in the country i

Corporal Heather McQueen is a vehicle mechanic and maintains all UN engineering vehicles in Malakal, South Sudan. Pictured, Heather speaks with Angelo, a local colleague who assists in maintaining the vehicles. Heather teaches Angelo about how to repair v

The UK contribution to UN peacekeeping in South Sudan includes a UK C-130, which flies the Entebbe-Juba-Malakal route, moving humanitarian-enabling supplies, UN material and vehicles, including to the hard-to-reach base in Malakal.

Besides contributing troops to South Sudan and Cyprus, the United Kingdom is the sixth largest contributor of financial assistance to UN peacekeeping. Pictured, the Black Watch, 3rd Battalion of the Royal Regiment of Scotland wearing the distinctive blue

International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation

International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation

Fatima, 7, sits on a bed in her home in Afar region, Ethiopia. She was subjected to FGM/C when she was 1 year old.

At a community meeting in Kabele Village, Ethiopia, former FGM practitioner Boko Mohammed holds the tool she used to use while performing the procedure.

A young woman in an Ouagadougou clinic in Burkina Faso has undergone reconstructive surgery to repair the damage caused by female genital mutilation at age 6.

In Mali, Fanta talks about the health complications she continues to experience as a result of female genital mutilation. While renounced in Sébétou Village in 2009, an estimated 85 per cent of Malian girls and women aged 15 to 49 have been subjected to FGM.

Displaced women and men in Chad celebrate 'circumcision' days for girls by dancing together. During that time, several 11-years-olds were mutilated.

Pictured in Ethiopia is 6-year-old Asmah who underwent FGM because her mother, Bedria, believed she could not marry honourably without it, saying, "From our own experience we know that [cutting] causes problems. However it is the tradition."

Women chat together in the village of Halajay Gawra, northern Iraq, one of the villages UNICEF is working with to become “FGM-free.”

Jaha Dukureh, activist and FGM survivor speaks to journalists at a press conference on Engaging Health Workers to End Female Genital Mutilation.

Service and Sacrifice: Chadian peacekeepers on a UN mission for peace in Mali

Service and Sacrifice: Chadian peacekeepers on a UN mission for peace in Mali

Chadian peacekeepers with MINUSMA patrol near Kidal in northern Mali in December 2016.

A day with the Tchadian in Kidal

MINUSMA Chadian contingent patrol the streets of Kidal, Kidal the 17th of December 2016.

The Chadian troops protect convoys in the most dangerous regions controlled by terrorist groups. Pictured, officers checking for explosives. “We cannot go for 200 kilometers, 300 kilometers without being blown up by a mine,” said Colonel Abdelsalam Malick

Patrols last throughout the night, with troops on duty stopping only to eat, stretch their legs and pray.

Chadian UN peacekeepers patrol the area outside the Chadian Base where the military delegation from Bamako is meeting with Commander of Chadian UN peacekeepers Gen. Moussa in Tessalit, North of Mali.

MINUSMA Chadian contingents patrol the streets of Kidal, 17th of December 2016.

MINUSMA Chadian contingents patrol the streets of Kidal, Kidal the 17th of December 2016.

Bangladesh: Three decades of service and sacrifice in UN peacekeeping

Bangladesh: Three decades of service and sacrifice in UN peacekeeping

A Bangladeshi contingent on patrol in the Central African Republic, one of 10 peacekeeping missions where Bangladeshis are serving under the UN flag.

In Haiti, an all-female Bangladeshi Formed Police Unit serving with MINUSTAH at its departure ceremony. The 160-strong contingent focused on reconstruction efforts after the deadly earthquake in 2010.

Peacekeepers on patrol in Bunia, Ituri Province, DRC. At least 132 Bangladeshi peacekeepers have made the ultimate sacrifice in the service of peace.

A patrol commander from the Bangladeshi battalion meets with the chief of ADA village, in the Ituri Province of eastern DRC, during a routine security patrol.

A UN peacekeeper from Bangladesh provides free medical consultations to residents of a community in the Central African Republic.

In 2017, Bangladesh sent two female combat pilots to the UN mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) – Flight Lieutenant Nayma Haque and Flight Lieutenant Tamanna-E-Lutfi.

Bangladeshi engineers serving with the UN mission in South Sudan are leading efforts to improve a 78-kilometre stretch of road between Gumbo and Mangalla, on the artery between Juba and Bor.

Rakhine crisis: UN responds to mass exodus from Myanmar

Rakhine crisis: UN responds to mass exodus from Myanmar

Violence in Myanmar caused a mass exodus of civilians. Pictured, people crossing from Myanmar into Cox’s Bazar, a thin stretch of beach in south-eastern Bangladesh.

Women in Basara camp for internally displaced persons outside of Sittwe, in Rakhine state, in December 2013.

A boy outside his family hut in Basara camp for displaced persons on the outskirts of Sittwe in December 2013.

Displaced persons near Sittwe in December 2013

Rohingya refugees

Rohingya refugees

Rohingya refugees

Rohingya refugees

Refugees setting up temporary shelters among rice fields, after crossing the border.