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In the early years, UN peacekeepers were soldiers, mainly European and all men.
Today, almost 120 countries - large and small, and rich and poor, from all corners of the globe - contribute personnel to UN peacekeeping. Nations that once hosted peacekeeping operations, such as Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cambodia, Croatia, and El Salvador, now send their personnel to United Nations peacekeeping missions elsewhere, demonstrating their confidence in the effectiveness of UN operations.
Peacekeepers are no longer just soldiers. They are now joined by more than 11,000 police officers; about 5,000 international civilians with expertise in areas such as human rights, security sector reform, elections, logistics, child protection, HIV/AIDS and gender issues; and more than 11,000 local civilian staff.
An increasing number of peacekeepers are women. And the past year has seen remarkable progress in advancing gender parity, with an increasing number of senior posts going to women. In a landmark event, the first all-female contingent, a well-equipped and highly trained Formed Police Unit from India, was deployed to the UN peacekeeping mission in Liberia in 2007.
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Yugoslav peacekeepers arriving by train at Port Said, Egypt.
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The first all-female Formed Police Unit to be deployed by the UN arrives from India in Monrovia, Liberia.
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