Troops from different countries wore their national uniforms and added distinctive UN arm bands and shoulder patches to identify them as UN peacekeepers. In 1956, the UN Emergency Force (UNEF) was established as the first UN peacekeeping operation. This also became the standard practice for all UN observer missions' (Urquhart, p.161). the observers' vehicles were painted white with 'UN' in huge black letters on the sides and top. According to Charles Henry in Ralph Bunche: Model Negro or American Other?, 'Every effort was made to distinguish them as UN personnel with whatever material was available- armbands, flags, helmets, and so on' (Henry, p.143). In Ralph Bunche: An American Life, Brian Urquhart notes, 'The observers wore UN armbands and carried UN flags. The need for distinctive dress for UN personnel emerged in 1947 with the appointment of the UN Mediator and the subsequent creation of the UN Truce Supervision Organization (UNTSO). This distinctive color came to represent the UN. In 1947, General Assembly resolution 167 (II) approved light blue for the United Nations flag. 4 Commission on the Status of Women(CSW)ĭuring the early years of the United Nations, many practices had to be established as the organization encountered new situations and found ways of meeting challenges.
