UN Peacekeepers Day, UNIFIL & other topics - Daily Press Briefing (5 June 2026) | United Nations

Description

Noon Briefing by Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesperson for the Secretary-General. Highlights: - UN Peacekeepers Day - UNIFIL - Lebanon -Occupied Palestinian Territory - Middle East - Cyprus - Libya - Democratic Republic Of The Congo - UNOPS - Food Price Index - World Environment Day - The Fight Against Illegal, Unreported And Unregulated Fishing - International Days/Weekend - Programming Note/Monday UN PEACEKEEPERS DAY To mark UN Peacekeepers Day, the Secretary-General laid a wreath to commemorate the nearly 4,500 people who have lost their lives since we began our peacekeeping work almost 80 years ago. Speaking at the ceremony, he said that as events of this very week remind us, peacekeepers continue to face peril in the cause of peace – and we pay the highest tribute to their service and sacrifice. UN Peacekeeping has proven to be one of the international community’s most effective responses to conflict. Across the globe, Mr. Guterres said, the UN Blue Helmet is a symbol of hope for communities in their darkest hour. He said he is inspired by the women and men who wear the Blue Helmet, as they are protectors of the vulnerable, and guardians of hope in places where hope is often in short supply. UNIFIL Just to give you a quick update on the status of the two peacekeepers who were injured on Wednesday, I can tell you that they continue to receive treatment at a UNIFIL medical facility in south Lebanon. We wish them a swift and full recovery. UNIFIL continues to observe intensive Israel Defense Forces (IDF) activity across UNIFIL’s area of operations, including sustained airstrikes and helicopter fire in both sectors, East and West. Yesterday, UNIFIL peacekeepers reported a total of 773 firing incidents originating from IDF positions south of the Blue Line within the area of operations. In addition, 15 trajectories of projectiles were detected from north to south, including one crossing the Blue Line, while ground forces observed 29 projectile interceptions by Israel over the area. Peacekeepers also o