Deputy Prime Minister Hails Jamaican Members of UN Peackeeping Missions

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Dr. the Hon Kenneth Baugh, has extended the commendations of the public and the gratitude of Prime Minister Bruce Golding to the members of the local police force who have served on various United Nations (UN) Peacekeeping Missions.
Dr. Baugh was speaking at a meeting with the officers at the Foreign Ministry, New Kingston, on Wednesday (April 14).
He applauded them for the “stellar service” they provided, and the reputation that they have earned for themselves and Jamaica.
Minister of State in the Foreign Ministry, Senator Marlene Malahoo Forte, who was also present, described the officers as ambassadors whose work as peacekeepers was very important.
Peacekeeping operations are the purview of the UN Security Council, and facilitate the United Nations’ primary purpose of the maintenance of international peace and security. Since 2004, Jamaica has deployed over 60 officers to join UN peacekeeping efforts, with 20 currently still serving in the field.
This is in keeping with the country’s commitment to the maintenance of international peace and security, and its consistent support and contribution to UN peacekeeping missions.
The officers were deployed in African countries such as Senegal and Sudan, while others served in Haiti and in Timor-Leste, which is an island at the southern end of Southeast Asia. Some of the officers were also part of the UN international Independent Investigation Commission in Beirut, Lebanon.
They shared some of their challenging experiences with the Ministers, noting that they would be happy to serve on other missions in the future.
The Ministers and the officers agreed that it was important to find ways in which the peacekeepers could use their experiences to benefit Jamaican policing.