Day of the Peacekeeper 2023: Honoring German personnel in international peacekeeping missions

On June 22, on the occasion of the "Day of the Peacekeeper", Foreign Minister Baerbock, Interior Minister Faeser and Defense Minister Pistorius honored three civilian experts, three police officers and three soldiers on behalf of all those on deployment for their services in the context of international missions abroad. This was the first time that the ceremony was held in conjunction with the Bundestag. The ceremony was therefore held in the Paul-Löbe-Haus of the Bundestag and was opened by Bundestag Vice President Aydan Özoğuz.

Foreign Minister Baerbock praised the peacekeepers for their networked cooperation: "Through international peace operations, which work across silos between civilians, police and military, you are thus also a role model and aspiration for our actions in the German government." She also emphasized, "In conflicts, girls and women are often the first victims of violence. That is why it is so important that this year the UN agenda 'Women, Peace and Security' is the theme of our ceremony. Because we all know: Where women are safer, all other groups in a society are safer."

This year, for the first time, the German peacekeepers were honored together with the chairmen of the Interior, Foreign Affairs and Defense Committees: Prof. Dr. Lars Castellucci, Michael Roth and Dr. Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann. This year's award was given to peacekeepers who are serving or have served in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Georgia, Iraq, Niger, the Palestinian territories, Ukraine, Sudan, South Sudan and Turkey. The tasks of the honorees are as varied as the areas of operation: they range from military protection of the civilian population and monitoring of conflict parties in the area of operation, to training planning for junior peacekeepers, to promoting the rule of law and gender counseling.