U.N. stamp shows 1,000 people posing the question ‘What R U Doing 4 Peace’

By Denise McCarty 

A new United Nations Postal Administration definitive stamp features a theme of peace.

Not only is it being issued May 29 to coincide with the International Day of U.N. Peacekeepers, it reproduces a photograph depicting people forming the question "What R U Doing 4 Peace?"

The 65¢ definitive is for use from the UNPA post office at U.N. headquarters in New York City.

The photograph shown on the stamp also depicts the U.N. headquarters.

According to information on the United Nations’ website, the aerial photograph was taken by Rick Bajornas Sept. 17, 2015, just before the opening of the 70th U.N. General Assembly, to launch “a global outreach campaign showcasing UN field careers.” This campaign is called “What are you doing for peace?”

The United Nations said: “Over 1,000 participants joined together dressed in white — the symbolic color of peace — to illustrate the uplifting theme of this campaign. This visually compelling picture evokes the ‘raison d’etre’ of the UN — work towards the cause of peace is at the heart of what the UN does every day.”

According to UNPA, the aerial photograph event was organized by the Department of Field Support’s Field Personnel Division. The UNPA added that the “event was leveraged to focus interest on the diversity of a UN career across multiple disciplines in locations around the world.”

The theme for this year’s International Day of U.N. Peacekeepers is “UN Peacekeepers: 70 Years of Service and Sacrifice.”

The United Nations said: “On this day, we pay tribute to the professionalism, dedication and courage of all the men and women serving in UN peacekeeping operations, and honour the memory of those who have lost their lives in the cause of peace.”

May 29 was selected for this annual remembrance because on that date in 1948 the first U.N. peacekeeping mission, United Nations Truce Supervision Organization (UNTSO), began operations in Palestine.

This year, some of the events for the International Day of U.N. Peacekeepers, including a wreath-laying ceremony in honor of peacekeepers who lost their lives while serving under the U.N. flag, will take place June 1 at U.N. headquarters.

Rorie Katz of the United Nations designed the stamp. The Lowe-Martin Group of Canada printed it in sheets of 20 by offset. The stamp measures 50 millimeters by 35mm.

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In addition to the stamp, the UNPA is producing a show card for the Israel 2018 World Stamp Championship, to take place May 27-31 in Jerusalem. The card will bear the new U.N. definitive and a May 29 first-day cancel.

For ordering information, visit their website.