2 fallen Indian peacekeepers awarded prestigious UN medal

Two fallen peacekeepers from India were honured here today along with 124 other military, police and civilian personnel with a posthumous UN medal for their courage and sacrifice while serving in UN peacekeeping operations last year.
Lance Naik Nand Ram, who served with the UN Organisation Stabilisation Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO), and Raju Joseph, who had served in a civilian capacity with the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), were awarded the Dag Hammarskjold Medal in a solemn ceremony on the International Day of UN Peacekeepers commemorated today.
India's Ambassador to the UN Asoke Mukerji received the medal on behalf of the late Indian Lance Naik, while Under-Secretary-General for Field Support Atul Khare received the medal on behalf of all civilians who were killed while serving in peacekeeping missions last year.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said the "courageous men and women" lost their lives while defending the most vulnerable people in some of the most dangerous places on earth.
He said the risks that UN peacekeepers face are growing "steadily - from attacks by extremists and rebel groups to the threat of diseases, including Ebola.
"UN Peacekeeping will continue to carry risks and sadly this will not be the last time we gather together to mourn. Our peacekeepers carry a heavy burden for all of us. But their hard work and successes have made UN peacekeeping an irreplaceable tool for the international community to address countries in conflict and to help the millions of people affected by war.

"The fact that 125,000 peacekeepers serve today, an all-time high, is a true testament to the faith and confidence entrusted in them," Ban said in remarks at the ceremony.
The commemoration of the international peacekeepers' day marked the 7th successive year in which the UN honoured more than 100 "blue helmets" who lost their lives the previous year while serving the cause of peace, according to a UN statement.