| Canada's Role in Peacekeeping. | By Julia Pitts | | HP | 5/7/2013 |

The contribution of Canadian Peacekeepers to missions across the world had an unbelievable effect on Canada today. Over the years, Canadian Peacekeepers have taken on missions around the world to help countries and create conditions for peace. More than 125,000 military personnel and thousands of civilians have been deployed in conflicts from the states in United Nations and a host of other “hot spots”- including, most recently, Afghanistan. Most Canadians have supported an active, international role for our country in peacekeeping missions. Canada is home to the first monument in peacekeeping located in Ottawa. Peacekeeping is now an internal part of our national identity. Canadian troops have served in over 72 missions since 1956, many of these as peacekeepers in conflict zones across the world, Ready to share our knowledge and resources by enlighting others in different countries skills to troops from other countries as well. Canada has donated three million dollars to Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping training centre in Accra Ghana, which is designed to strengthen the ability of Africans to handle conflict. Canada’s peacekeeping involvement will always be one of the biggest peackeeeping envolvements across the world.

Canada had a huge participation in a mission for Somalia. In 1992, the international community took action. The UN formed a peacekeeping mission to help bring stability to the region and allow relief supplies to reach those in desperate need of it. A further United States-led multinational initiative was authorized by the UN in late 1992. Canada, along with more than twenty other nations, participated in this. During their time in Somalia, Canadians did many things to try to improve the desperate situation there. They escorted famine relief convoys, participated in the removal of landmines and collected or destroyed thousands of confiscated weapons. Despite their best efforts, the international forces could not end the strife in the country. In 1995, the final UN peace support mission withdrew. Canada's mission in Somalia was clouded by controversial incidents involving the Canadian Airborne Regiment and the death of a young Somalian intruder in the Canadian camp near the town of Belet-Uen. A high-profile Canadian military inquiry would follow and the Airborne Division would eventually be disbanded. Today, Somalia remains one of the world's poorest and least-developed countries. There is no real country-wide government. Local strongmen retain control of large areas of the region. Portions of the country have tried to break away and form their own nations. Somalia's infrastructure is in shambles and famine remains a problem. Many of its people rely on foreign aid to survive.Canadian Forces members in Somalia faced much violence and chaos. Peace support forces often faced great danger with even greater acts of valor.0

By sending Canadians on United Nation missions it could put an end to regional conflict and reduce the potential of the world ever going into war again. Canadian peacekeepers served in the UN to help create conditions for peace. The first peacekeeping mission for Canadians was in 1956 and took place in Egypt. They were sent to Egypt and were traditionally placed between hostile forces to watch cease-fires and withdrawal from opposing forces . There peacekeeping troops were made up of members of the nation's military, police officers, and contributing civilians; they