On 11 July, MINURSO marked the celebration of Mongolia’s State Flag Day aby hoisting the national flag at the Mission HQ next to the UN flag.

This year, Mongolia celebrates the 22th anniversary of the country’s contribution to United Nations peacekeeping, which started in 2002 with the deployment of two unarmed military observers to MINURSO. 

Today, over 900 military and police personnel serve in field missions around the globe, four of which serving currently in MINURSO. Mongolia’s contributions to UN peacekeeping have been notable for the high number of women throughout their ranks.

In MINURSO, four United Nations military observers from Mongolia work in challenging conditions at the Team Sites east and west of the berm.

The Flag Day is followed by the Nadaam Festival, the main holiday in Mongolia which is listed as an official national day by the UN and, since 2010, is on the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.  

The UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity comprises the diverse cultural practices and expressions of humanity, and seeks to raise awareness of the importance of such practices and expressions, encourage dialogue that respects cultural diversity, as well as give due recognition to the practices and expressions of communities worldwide.

“Naadam” is locally called “Eriin Gurvan Naadam” and the celebrations traditionally encompass three traditional sports: racing, Mongolian wrestling and archery.