UN Secretary-General António Guterres will posthumously honour six Bangladeshi peacekeepers with the Dag Hammarskjöld Medal at a ceremony at the UN Headquarters in New York on 5 June.
The six Bangladeshi peacekeepers are Md Jahangir Alam, Md Sobuj Mia, Md Masud Rana, Md Mominul Islam, Shamim Reza and Santo Mondol. They are among 68 military, police and civilian peacekeepers who will receive the medal in recognition of their sacrifice in the line of duty.
The Bangladeshi peacekeepers lost their lives in a drone strike on 13 December 2025 while serving with the United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA).
The United Nations observed the International Day of UN Peacekeepers worldwide on Friday to pay tribute to serving peacekeepers and honour those who have died while working for peace. The UN Headquarters will mark the occasion on 5 June.
During the ceremony, Guterres will lay a wreath in memory of nearly 4,500 peacekeepers who have lost their lives since 1948. The Secretary-General will also preside over the medal presentation ceremony for the 68 fallen peacekeepers, including 59 who died last year.
Bangladesh remains the fourth-largest contributor of uniformed personnel to UN peacekeeping missions, according to an official. The country currently deploys more than 4,000 military and police personnel, including 277 women, to missions in Abyei, the Central African Republic, Cyprus, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Lebanon, Libya, South Sudan and Western Sahara.
More than 50,000 civilian, military and police peacekeepers currently serve under the UN flag in some of the world’s most challenging environments. The United Nations said conflicts are becoming increasingly fragmented and prolonged, while new threats, including the misuse of digital tools and the spread of harmful information, continue to emerge.
At present, 118 countries contribute uniformed personnel to 11 UN peacekeeping missions.
The UN General Assembly established the International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers in 2002 and selected May 29 to mark the creation of the first UN peacekeeping mission, the United Nations Truce Supervision Organization, by the Security Council in 1948.
This year’s theme is “Invest in Peace”. The United Nations said the theme highlights the continued importance of peacekeeping at a time when missions face financial constraints and reduced resources. It described peacekeeping as one of the international community’s most effective tools for supporting political solutions, protecting civilians, preventing conflict escalation, monitoring ceasefires, enabling humanitarian assistance and clearing landmines.
In a message marking the occasion, Guterres said the international community honours both past and present peacekeepers and shares a collective responsibility to support their work.
“We pay tribute to nearly 4,500 peacekeepers who have lost their lives since 1948, including 59 last year. No one should die serving the cause of peace. Attacks on peacekeepers are grave violations of international humanitarian law, and Member States must uphold their obligations to ensure the safety and security of UN personnel at all times,” he said.
The Secretary-General also said that peacekeeping remains a proven and cost-effective way to restore stability and hope during a period of growing global tensions. He stressed that peace operations require consistent political backing and reliable financial support.
During the June 5 ceremony, Guterres will also present the Captain Mbaye Diagne Medal for Exceptional Courage to Corporal Matias Reyes of Uruguay for his actions in Goma, eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, during the height of the crisis in early 2025. The award will also go posthumously to Sergii Prykodko of Ukraine, a private contractor serving with the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), who was killed during a mission to extract besieged soldiers in March last year.
The Secretary-General will further present the 2025 Military Gender Advocate of the Year Award to Major Abhilasha Barak of India, serving with the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), and the UN Woman Police Officer of the Year Award to Stephanie Königs of Germany, who served with UNMISS.
Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix said that UN peacekeepers continue to protect civilians, prevent violence and maintain hope in difficult environments despite increasing conflict and shrinking resources. He said investing in peacekeeping means investing in stability, prevention and the possibility of lasting peace.
