UNITED NATIONS, Oct. 18 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres will travel to the Central African Republic (CAR) next week to visit peacekeepers as a gesture to solute the blue helmets around the world.
"Peacekeeping operations are among the international community's most effective tools for meeting the challenges of global peace and security. Peacekeepers show tremendous courage in volatile environments, and great dedication in helping countries rise from the depths of armed conflict," he told reporters on Wednesday.
Since the beginning of the year, 67 peacekeepers have died in the line of duty, including 12 in the CAR, he noted.
Guterres also linked his visit with the issue of sexual exploitation and abuse by peacekeepers.
"We know that the good work and tremendous sacrifice of peacekeepers around the world has been tarnished by the appalling acts of some UN personnel who have harmed the people they were meant to serve. I am pained that some peacekeepers are alleged to have committed egregious acts of sexual exploitation and abuse against the people of the Central African Republic."
He said he would be accompanied by Jane Connors, the newly appointed the first "victims' rights advocate" of the United Nations. "We are determined to ensure that the voices of victims are heard, in and beyond the Central African Republic. Victims must be at the center of our response if we want our zero-tolerance policy to be successful," said Guterres.
