UNIFIL celebrates the 70th Anniversary of the UN in Tyr

Lebanese singer Ahmad Kaabour performing at UN 70th Anniversary in Tyr.

UNIFIL Korean contingent ROKBATT performing Tae-kwon Do in Tyr.

UNIFIL Ghanaian peacekeepers performing at a UN 70th Anniversary Ceremony in Tyr.

UN 70th Anniversary photo exhibition in Tyr.

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22 Sep 2015

UNIFIL celebrates the 70th Anniversary of the UN in Tyr

On Saturday, 19 September in celebration of the 70th anniversary of the United Nations and under the patronage of the Governor of the South his Excellency Mansour Daow , the United Nations interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) organized a series of events in the city of Tyr, in southern Lebanon.

Present at the ceremony were UNIFIL Deputy Head of Mission Imran Riza, the Mayor of Tyr Hassan Dbouk, MP of Tyr Ali Khoreiss , the President of the Union of Municipalities in Tyr Abdel Mohsen El Husseini, Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) South Litani Sector's Commander Brigadier-General Charbel Abou Khalil, UNIFIL Deputy Force Commander Brigadier-General Sandeep Bajaj, UNIFIL Sector West Commander Brigadier-General Salvatore Cuoci and other local authorities and members of the international community.

UNIFIL Deputy Head of Mission Imran Riza opened the ceremony:" We are here today as part of the UN family in Lebanon to celebrate not only the 70th anniversary of our organization, but also to emphasise the strengthening of our partnership with the Lebanese institutions. It's important to remember that Lebanon was a founding member of the UN and during all these years Lebanon has constantly shown its strong dedication and support for the organization and for UNIFIL in the south. In south Lebanon, we have been enjoying a long period of stability and this calm wouldn't have been possible without our well-established partnership with the LAF and our strong bonds with the local population."

The ceremony took place at sun set along the corniche of Tyr and was enriched by a breath-taking Tae-Kwon Do show by the Korean peacekeepers (ROKBATT) and a music performance by the Ghanaian contingent (GHANBATT) who also gave a demonstration of traditional dances from different part of Ghana.

In addressing the ceremony, the Governor of the South Mansour Daow said:" In celebrating the UN 70th anniversary, I would like to thank the UN family, as well as UNIFIL in particular for their many achievements." And he added:" You travelled from far away leaving your families behind to help maintaining peace in our country. You helped us in building schools, health centers, empowered youth and women, assisted refugees, and much more. Our successes and achievements binds us, and so our losses and failures. Always hoping for a better future."

At the end of the ceremony, the audience enjoyed a concert performed by the famous Lebanese singer Ahmad Kaabour, who sang some of his most renowned songs.

In parallel with the ceremony, a photo exhibition consisting of 20 billboards highlighting the people of Lebanon and the work United Nations in the country was set at the entrance of two hotels next to the location of the ceremony."