Six Bangladeshi peacekeepers who lost their lives while serving under the United Nations flag in Abyei will be posthumously awarded the prestigious ‘Dag Hammarskjöld Medal’ at the UN Headquarters on 5 June.
The medals will be presented by UN Secretary-General António Guterres during a ceremony marking the International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers, observed annually at the UN Headquarters in New York.
The six peacekeepers are Md Jahangir Alam, Md Sobuj Mia, Md Masud Rana, Md Mominul Islam, Shamim Reza and Santo Mondol, who were killed in a drone strike on 13 December 2025 while serving with the United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA).
The Secretary-General will lay a wreath in honour of nearly 4,500 peacekeepers who have lost their lives since 1948 and will present the medal posthumously to 68 military, police and civilian personnel from various countries, including 59 who died last year.
Bangladesh is the fourth-largest contributor of uniformed personnel to UN peacekeeping missions, with more than 4,000 military and police personnel—including 277 women—currently deployed in Abyei, the Central African Republic, Cyprus, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Lebanon, Libya, South Sudan and Western Sahara. Over 50,000 civilian, military and police peacekeepers from 118 countries serve in 11 UN peacekeeping operations worldwide.
The International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers was established by the UN General Assembly in 2002 and is observed on 29 May to commemorate the first UN peacekeeping mission in 1948. This year’s theme, “Invest in Peace”, highlights the need for sustained political and financial support amid growing global conflicts and shrinking resources.
Secretary-General Guterres paid tribute to peacekeepers past and present, urging greater efforts to ensure their safety. “Peacekeeping is a proven and cost-effective way to restore stability and hope, but it requires steady political backing and reliable financial support,” he said.
UN Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix added that peacekeepers continue to protect civilians, prevent violence and maintain hope in some of the world’s most challenging environments. “Investing in peacekeeping means investing in stability, prevention and the possibility of peace itself,” he said.
The ceremony will also see the presentation of the Captain Mbaye Diagne Medal for Exceptional Courage, the Military Gender Advocate of the Year Award, and the UN Woman Police Officer of the Year Award to outstanding peacekeeping personnel.
