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UNIFIL Head of Mission and Force Commander Major-General Aroldo Lazaro paid tribute to the bravery and commitment of those served and serving peace at the ceremony held at the Naqoura headquarters on occasion of the International Peacekeepers Day. He added the strong relationship with the Lebanese Armed Forces has proven critical to maintaining calm and stability in our area of operations and along the Blue Line.
UNIFIL supports the community and Lebanese governmental institutions, especially during the unprecedented economic crisis the country is facing. Recently, the Lebanese Civil Defense regional training center for the Nabatieh governorate was inaugurated in Bourj Al Mulouk village. Its construction was funded by UNIFIL, but the project was actually the result of joint efforts by many participants. Here is the link to full story in SoundCloud
Past military conflicts have left south Lebanon with many unexploded mines, bombs, and other ordinances. Lands around Meis El Jabal village close to the Blue Line were especially heavily affected. The situation has been drastically changed since UNIFIL Cambodian de-miners went there in May 2021. They helped to put abandoned agricultural fields into use again to the benefit of the local farmers.
The demand for solar power projects has increased rapidly in the last two years due to the economic crisis in Lebanon. Recently, UNIFIL’s Finnish contingent in cooperation with the municipality of Bani Hayan village implemented a solar project that provides the municipal building with 25 amperes of green energy
Sergeant Major Stan Hurley from UNIFIL’s Irish contingent first came to Lebanon in 1983. Since then, he has served as a peacekeeper in many other places, but over the years he kept returning to Lebanon. This current and final tour of duty is his 10th tour in Lebanon out of 18 overseas tours of duty in his long military career.
UNIFIL’s Nepalese peacekeepers, in cooperation with the local authorities, funded a major agricultural and public garden project in the village of Blida. The project, built in an open field close to the Blue Line, comprises rainwater ponds and recreational area. This project will irrigate nearby fields while also serving as a community meeting hub. It will benefit thousands of Blida residents.
Women have made enormous contributions in peacekeeping. Among UNIFIL’s 10,000 soldiers there are many women in uniform leading patrols, working with local communities, removing landmines, and providing medical care, among other roles. This Radio story is about two female peacekeepers performing some of the most challenging duties in south Lebanon.
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<p>Patrolling is an integral part of UNIFIL’s daily operational tempo aimed at ensuring peace and stability in South Lebanon. There are different types of patrols the peacekeepers conduct: motorised patrols, foot patrols, as well as air and sea patrols. There is, however, less known type – so called “snow patrols” conducted in mountainous areas during wintertime. Recently UNIFIL Radio joined one of such patrols performed by Indian peacekeepers together with the Lebanese Armed forces in the remote Shab’a area.</p>
<p><small><b><i><a href="https://soundcloud.com/unifilradio/snow-patrol-in-english?in=unifilradi…; rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Here is the link to full story in SoundCloud.</a></i></b></small></p>
<p>Hussein Ramadan a farmer from Froun village in south Lebanon says that he owes it to a UNIFIL Finnish peacekeeper, Tom Kjällman, that he is still alive. It was in 1985 that an explosion thundered under the feet of the Lebanese farmer when he inadvertently entered a minefield. UNIFIL peacekeepers saved him then, although one rescuer, a young soldier from Finland, paid the ultimate price for his bravery. </p>
<p><small><b><i><a href="https://soundcloud.com/unifilradio/a-finnish-martyr-in-english?in=unifi…; rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Here is the link to full story in SoundCloud.</a></i></b></small></p>
<p>"Women in the minefield” is still a rare phenomenon world over. Zeina Saleh, from the United Nations Mine Action Service operating in south Lebanon, is among those few women undertaking a job that can be deadly. Recently Zeina, together with six other young women working for UNMAS around the world, was given the UN Secretary General Award after she became a qualified Explosive Ordnance Disposal Operator. With their commitment and courage, these women not only completed their training successfully, but also challenged obsolete gender norms. </p>
<p><small><b><i><a href="https://soundcloud.com/unifilradio/zeina-saleh-in-english?in=unifilradi…; rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Here is the link to full story in SoundCloud.</a></i></b></small></p>
<p>For the first time in its history, since gaining independence in 1991, the Republic of Kazakhstan is taking part in a UN peace operation. On 31 October 2018, 120 Kazakh troops joined UNIFIL. They have been deployed in a south-eastern corner of Lebanon, close to Shab’a Farms, and formed a joint team with the UNIFIL Indian battalion. How does this scheme – dubbed also as an example of south-south cooperation – work? More details about their task in the following episode. </p>
<p><small><b><i><a href="https://soundcloud.com/unifilradio/novice-at-peacekeeping-in-english?in… is the link to full story in SoundCloud.</a></i></b></small></p>
<p>They have been working hand-in-hand for more than 13 years, the Lebanese Navy and UNIFIL Maritime Task Force. Since the very first moment when the first naval component in the history of UN peacekeeping operations was deployed in 2006, it has been providing all possible support to the Lebanese Navy not only in monitoring territorial waters but also in building its capabilities. The results of such cooperation, remarkable in themselves, allow Lebanon to ensure its maritime safety. </p>
<p><small><b style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 14.6667px; text-size-adjust: auto;"><i><span style="color: rgb(0, 112, 192);"><a href="https://soundcloud.com/unifilradio/ensuring-maritime-safety">Here is the link to full story in SoundCloud.</a></span></i></b></small></p>
<p>More women among peacekeepers is key to UNIFIL’s efficiency, impact and credibility. Overall, though, improving the women-to-men ratio among civilian staff have fared better than among their military counterparts. Against this background, UNIFIL Nepalese peacekeepers have made an important step towards better women representation in their operational activities by initiating a women-led patrol.<span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; text-size-adjust: auto;"> </span></p>
<p><small><b style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 14.6667px; text-size-adjust: auto;"><i><span style="color: rgb(0, 112, 192);"><a href="https://soundcloud.com/unifilradio/nepalese-female-patrol">Here is the link to full story in SoundCloud.</a></span></i></b></small></p>
<p><span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px; text-size-adjust: auto;">Astronaut – Engineer Paolo Nespoli has been three times on the orbit of Earth. Going there was his long-time dream and it took him a while to materialize it. His way to stars begun in his native Italy. Though, Lebanon where he served as a peacekeeper played, in his own words, an important part in his transformation from a soldier into an astronaut. We caught up with him during his recent visit to UNIFIL Headquarters in Naqoura. </span></p>
<p><small><b style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px; text-size-adjust: auto;"><i><span style="color: rgb(0, 112, 192);"><a href="http://bit.ly/2mUi0Bx">Here is the link to full story in SoundCloud.</a></span></i></b></small></p>
<p>“We have a lot of history in Lebanon. For us, Fijians, UNIFIL was the first peacekeeping mission which we joined on 12th of June 1978. It was right before our very eyes the South, a land of conflicts, has turned into a calm and stable area and we would like to think that we have also contributed to this,” says Major Semi Soko Baravilala, Commanding Officer of UNIFIL’s last Fijian contingent.</p>
<p><a href="https://soundcloud.com/unifilradio/w3y2et5ysxed?in=unifilradio/sets/sal… is the link to full story in SoundCloud (in Arabic).</i></b></small></a></p>
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