PREMIUM TIMES journalist, Ibanga Isine, to speak at UN group’s event

PREMIUM TIMES’ Regional Editor (South), Ibanga Isine, will participate in a live Twitter conversation hosted by the United Nations Association of Australia to mark this year’s International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers.

The International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers will be observed on May 29, where the United Nations will honour more than 3,300 U‎N Peacekeepers that have given their lives in the line of duty.

Mr. Isine‎, an award winning investigative journalist, will be joined by Kel Gleeson, a UN Veteran Peacekeeper, who served in the Australian Army for 20 years.

“This is an honour, not only to me and PREMIUM TIMES alone, ‎but also a celebration of the spirit of the Nigerian journalist who has continued to push in the face of daunting challenge including risks to personal safety,” said Mr. Isine, who won the News Impact category of the CNN MultiChoice African Journalist of the Year Award in 2015.

“Being selected from far away Australia to feature on the UN platform shows that the little contributions we make daily to raise the bar of journalism practice is being noticed and that we are making significant impact.”

‎Mr. Gleeson joins the conversation with extensive peacekeeping experience in Rwanda, Yugoslavia, Cambodia, Sudan, and East Timor; while Mr. Isine will share his experiences in print, broadcast, and multimedia journalism, covering subjects such as Boko Haram.

The theme for the Twitter conversation is ‘The Future of Peacekeeping Operations.’

Globally, commemorative activities will be held at UN headquarters in New York, and at peacekeeping operations and offices around the world.

‎In a message to mark the Day, Matthew Kronborg, UNAA Executive Director, said the efforts of UN ‘blue helmets’ had created a more stable, humane, and prosperous world.

“Everyday they put their lives on the line between conflicted parties in volatile and dangerous environments,” said Mr. Kronborg.

“Their selfless efforts create the space for negotiations to be undertaken, rule of law to be restored and ultimately democracy to be rebuilt. Upon this foundation refugees can return home, children can go back to school and shopkeepers can reopen.”