ASTANA – May 29 is recognized as the International Day of UN Peacekeepers, honoring the service members who contribute to conflict resolution and building a safer world.
Photo credit: Kazakh ministry of defense.
Kazakhstan’s peacekeeping activities began with the establishment of the Kazbat First Engineering and Sapper Detachment in August 2003, according to the press service of the Ministry of Defence.
Officially, the Kazakh government’s peacekeeping collaboration with the UN began in 2014, following the deployment of the first military personnel from the Armed Forces as the organization’s military observers in Western Sahara.
Since then, Kazakh peacekeepers have served in various regions, including Lebanon, Western Sahara and Côte d’Ivoire. In 2024, Kazakhstan additionally sent military personnel to UN missions in Africa and the Middle East. The missions in the Central African Republic, Mali, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo have become the most challenging ones.
Kazakhstan became the first and, to date, the only country in the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) to receive an independent UN mandate on the Golan Heights, where 139 of our service members have been tasked with maintaining the ceasefire between Israel and Syria.
This year marked the successful return of the first mission, while Kazakhstan dispatched its second national peacekeeping contingent to the Golan Heights.
The Almaty-based Peacekeeping Operations Center plays a significant role in training military personnel, encompassing legal, humanitarian, language, and psychological aspects for peacekeepers.
Kazakhstan’s participation in UN peacekeeping missions contributes to strengthening international security and enhances the country’s role in the global arena. It also enables service members to gain combat experience, enhance their professional training, and adapt to operations in a multinational environment.
