Every year, for the past 46 years, the United Nations Information Service (UNIS) in Geneva has organized a three-week programme for post-graduate students from all over the world who come to Geneva to learn about the work of the United Nations and its specialized agencies. This programme constitutes a major public outreach of the Service.

The 46th UN Graduate Study Programme took place on 7-25 July at the Palais des Nations in Geneva under the theme: "The United Nations: the inseparable link between peace and security, human rights and sustainable development". The UNIS welcomed 77 participants from 39 different countries, including a diplomat. The group was made up of 49 women and 28 men.

Through film screenings and lectures by leading experts from the UN system, the participants were exposed to the various activities undertaken by the United Nations to ensure the maintenance of international peace and security, development and environmental sustainability.

The participants wrote a report at the end of the programme, which will be distributed to member states through the Permanent Missions based in Geneva, to United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) offices throughout the world as well as to the participants themselves.

The UNIS Director-General delivered remarks at a closing ceremony held on 25 July during which he distributed certificates to the participants.

For more information on the United Nations Graduate Programme please visit our website.

The International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers was observed in Geneva by a ceremony and a round-table discussion jointly organized by the UN Information Service (UNIS) in Geneva and the International Association of Soldiers for Peace (AISP), an NGO which is based in Lyon, France. The commemoration at the Palais des Nations paid tribute to all the men and women who have served and continue to serve in United Nations peacekeeping operations, to thank them for their professionalism, dedication and courage, and to honour the memory of those who have lost their lives in the cause of peace.

As this year's celebrations also coincided with the sixtieth anniversary of United Nations peacekeeping missions, the events were also an opportunity to reflect on the achievements of the past 60 years, as well as to raise some of the current peacekeeping challenges and highlight the ever-growing demand for United Nations peacekeeping operations. Following the wreath-laying ceremony, a UN film, "In the Cause of Peace", was shown, which documented the course of 60 years of UN peacekeeping and raised some of the challenges ahead.

"The Blue Helmets sum up what the United Nations is all about: bringing peace and security to war-torn societies and helping people to live in stability and dignity" the Director-General of the UN Office at Geneva said in opening remarks at the round table discussion following the film. He highlighted that United Nations peacekeeping was in higher demand than ever before: In the first 40 years of peacekeeping, only 13 operations were deployed, whereas 50 operations had been put on the ground over the past 20 years. "This reflects the trust that the international community places in the United Nations' ability to deliver peace and stability" the Director-General said. However, effective peacekeeping required adequate funding, and it was noted that, although the current budget for peacekeeping stood at an all-time high of almost $7 billion, that was still less than half a per cent of global military expenditure. In conclusion, the Director-General remarked that strengthening United Nations peacekeeping capabilities was "the most appropriate way to honour those colleagues who gave their lives in the line of duty".