ONE MISSION, ONE TEAM, ONE GOAL
(By CAPTAIN RANDY S VERACION PA)
“Peacekeeping is not a job for soldiers, but only soldiers can do it!” - Dag
Hammarskjöld. Due to political rivalry, military and economic influence, enmity, vanity,
gluttony, territorial dispute among others, the world is in pandemonium that resulted to
wars. In the history of two bloody and devastating global wars, the United Nations was
formed as an aftermath in order to maintain International Peace and Security and to
take collective measures in the prevention and removal of threats to peace. By
adopting the Charter of the United Nations, the Member States affirmed their resolve to
save succeeding generations from the scourge of war.
At present, the United Nations has seventeen (17) operations with over
200,000 peacekeepers being rotated in and out of peacekeeping in a year serving all
over the world. According to Mr Herve Ladsous, the United Nations Under-SecretaryGeneral of Peacekeeping Operations during the occasion of Press Conference in New
York relative to the International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers last 29 May
2012, he honored the memory of one hundred twelve (112) colleagues who died while
serving under the United Nations Flag in 2011 and the thirty-one (31) others who
sacrificed their lives on different circumstances since January to May this year. He
further said, “the difference between an ordinary person and a hero is that a hero
voluntarily braves danger to save others.” Also, Under-Secretary-General Ladsous and
Assistant-Secretary-General Tony Banbury relayed through their messages on the
same occasion that there have been more than 2,900 blue helmets and blue berets
that paid the ultimate sacrifice serving the cause of peace since its first Peacekeeping
mission in 1948.
One of the United Nations Peacekeeping Missions in the world is the United
Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) under the authority of the United
Nations Security Council Resolution 350 following Chapter VI of the UN Charter.
UNDOF mission is to use its best efforts to maintain the ceasefire agreement
between Israeli and Syrian forces and to see that it is scrupulously observed. It will
supervise the agreement and protocol as regards to the Area of Separation (AOS)
and Area of Limitation (AOL) in order to ensure that the disengagement between
Israeli and Syrian forces will be implemented. In carrying out its mission, it will comply
with generally applicable Syrian laws and regulations and will not hamper the
operation of local civil administration. It will enjoy freedom of movement and
communication and other facilities that are necessary for its mission. It will be mobile
and provided with personal weapons of a defensive character and shall use such
weapons only for self-defense. The Agreement on Disengagement between Israeli
and Syrian Forces in Golan Heights took effect on the 30 May, 1974 after the 18 days
Yom Kippur war in 1973.
The Philippines is a member of the United Nations since 1945 and its
presence in Golan Heights with three hundred thirty-three (333) able, reliable and
dependable peacemakers is the country’s biggest overseas deployment since it
supported UN mission in East Timor last 2000. The peacekeeping mission in Golan
Heights is regarded as the most challenging of all the UN peacekeeping missions all
over the world as it could be a flashpoint of another world war considering that Israel
and Syria are under the auspices of its allied super power countries.
It should be noted that the first Peacekeepers that arrived in Golan Heights
were the contingents from Poland, Austria, Peru and Canada of the former UNEF II
stationed in Sinai. On 22 October 2009, after more than three decades of Poland
Battalion’s stint as UN Contingent to Golan Heights, the first Philippine Contingent to
Golan Heights assumed its responsibility in the southern part of the Area of
Separation (AOS) relieving Polish Contingent that served the United Nations
Disengagement Observation Force (UNDOF) for thirty-five (35) years. Among the
other UNDOF contingents in Golan Heights are the Austrian, Croatian, Japan, Indian
and Canadian. Unarmed Observer’s Group Golan under the United Nations Truce
Supervision Organization that has the jurisdiction of observation within the ambit of
Area of Separation and Area of Limitations respectively is from the continents of
Europe, Australia and North America. Regardless of the skin, color, religion and
cultural sensitivities, the UN peacekeepers only have one mission, one team, and one
goal. (This is a point of view of the writer, not necessarily of the AFP or AFPPKOC.
/’AAF’210112)
(FROM LEFT TO RIGHT: AUSTRIAN, PHILIPPINES, INDIAN AND CROATIAN)
SHOWN ARE THE MULTI-NATIONAL UNITED NATIONS DISENGAGEMENT
OBSERVER FORCE (UNDOF) CONTINGENT FLAG BEARERS AND ESCORTS
RAISING THEIR NATIONAL FLAGS DURING ONE OF THE UNDOF’S
ACTIVITIES HELD IN CAMP FOUAR, SYRIA
RENDERING SALUTE ARE THE WARRIOR PEACEKEEPERS FROM THE
UNITED NATIONS DISENGAGEMENT OBSERVER FORCE (UNDOF) DURING
ONE OF THE UNDOF’S ACTIVITIES HELD IN CAMP FOUAR, SYRIA
PAYING TRIBUTE THRU THE RENDITION OF SALUTE ARE THE DIVERGENT
UNITED NATIONS DISENGAGEMENT OBSERVER FORCE (UNDOF)
CONTINGENT MEMBERS WHILE FLAG BEARERS AND ESCORTS ARE
TROOPING THE LINE DURING ONE OF THE UNDOF’S ACTIVITIES HELD IN
CAMP FOUAR, SYRIA