The Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General for Côte d'Ivoire, Mrs Aïchatou Mindaoudou, on Friday, 27 June 2014, presided over the medal parade ceremony for 170 peacekeepers serving with the Pakistani Contingent of the United Nations Operation in Bouaké. The Acting Force Commander, Brigadier-General Didier Lhote also took part in the ceremony.

Mrs Mindaoudou praised the remarkable contribution of the Pakistani Force to the consolidation of peace in Côte d'Ivoire, while highlighting the immense work carried out by the Pakistani engineers. « The contingent spares no effort in offering its contribution to the restoration of peace in the country, not only in terms of providing security but also in its humanitarian support to people in need ». She congratulated the medal recipients and urged them to continue their work with professionalism and devotion as they have always done.

The Special Representative thanked representatives of civilians and military authorities as well as Ivorians for the perfect collaboration which exists between UNOCI peacekeepers and them. « The United Nations is here to accompany you so that peace becomes a reality in Côte d'Ivoire », she added.

Sector East Commander, General Abid Latif Khan, for his part, reaffirmed the Pakistani contingent's commitment to continue to play its role in providing humanitarian assistance to those in need. He recalled Pakistani's tradition of taking part in peacekeeping operations. « We were one of the first troop contributing countries in the world and our commitment to peace has been shown for half a century. In Côte d'Ivoire, Pakistan is the second highest troop contributing country», he added.



The Pakistani Contingent is composed of an infantry battalion, a transport regiment, an engineering company, a Formed Police Unit (FPU), military observers, as well as staff officers based at UNOCI headquarters.



The highlight of the ceremony were a military parade and traditional dances to show the cultural diversity of Pakistan.