On Monday, 26 October the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) held a ceremony at its headquarters in Naqoura, to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the foundation of the United Nations.

During this international observance of the UN Day, UNIFIL Head of Mission and Force Commander Major-General Luciano Portolano presented certificates of recognition to national and international staff members who will retire shortly or have completed 25 and 30 years of service with the United Nations.

The ceremony was attended by peacekeepers representing the 39 national contingents that make up UNIFIL, representatives of the Lebanese authorities, religious leaders, the Lebanese Armed Forces and members of the International community.

Head of Mission and Force Commander, Major-General Luciano Portolano and LAF Brigadier-General Francois Chahine, representing the LAF Commander, laid wreaths at the UNIFIL Cenotaph in honour of the peacekeepers who lost their lives in the service of peace.

Addressing the ceremony, Major-General Portolano said: "Today in conjunction with the Lebanese government, who is an original member of the United Nations, we can share a success story in the south of Lebanon. The calm and stability we are enjoying in the south is a common achievement. It has been not earned by chance but it is the results of a steady process where UNIFIL, the Lebanese government, the LAF and all the security forces alike, the religious and local authorities and the people of the southern Lebanon, have been working together with the common desire to attain the identical purpose. We must continue working together to maintain this environment as such."

Major-General Portolano expressed deep appreciation for the work done by the LAF, in coordination with UNIFIL and the strong support by the Government: "Since its establishment in 1978 and then again in 2006, the government of Lebanon has been supporting UNIFIL in any possible ways. I am willing to assist both parties in the pursuit of a permanent cease fire and in the achievement of a long term solution for a lasting peace especially for the future generations."

Currently, 39 countries contribute the over 10,000 troops to UNIFIL.

In 1947, the United Nations General Assembly declared 24 October, the anniversary of the Charter of the United Nations, as a day that "shall be devoted to making known to the peoples of the world the aims and achievements of the United Nations and to gaining their support for its work." The UN Day is marked throughout the world and in the occasion of the 70th Anniversary, UNIFIL celebrated the event in the south of Lebanon with cultural events in Houla, Tyr and at UNHQ in Naqoura.

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Article: Antonette Miday
Video Editor: Suzane Badereddine
Video Camera: Suzane Badereddine/Mohamad Hamze
Photo: Pascual Gorriz Marcos
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UNIFIL Force Commander Major-General Luciano Portolano speech