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United Nations Medals

Dag Hammarskjöld Medal

Dag Hammarskjöld MedalThe Secretary-General established the Dag Hammarskjöld medal in December 2000 as a posthumous award to members of peacekeeping operations who lost their lives during service with a peacekeeping operation under the operational control and authority of the United Nations. Each year on Peacekeeper's Day, this medal is awarded to any Member State who has lost one or more military or police peacekeepers at a ceremony at UN HQ. The Under-Secretary-General for Field Support also accepts a medal on behalf of deceased civilian staff each year. More information is available on the Secretary-General's bulletin (ST/SGB/2000/15). 

Captain Mbaye Diagne Medal

On 8 May 2014, the Security Council, by its resolution 2154, created “the Captain Mbaye Diagne Medal for Exceptional Courage" to be awarded to “those military, police, civilian United Nations personnel and associated personnel who demonstrate exceptional courage, in the face of extreme danger, while fulfilling the mandate of their missions or their functions, in the service of humanity and the United Nations.”

UN Medal

The UN medal  was established by the Secretary-General in 1966 for award, subject to the Regulations for the United Nations Medal (ST/SGB/119/Rev.1), to military personnel and civilian police who are or have been in the service of the United Nations. The Secretary-General has also defined the specifications of the medal and the ribbon on which it is suspended.

Below we provide a general description of the UN peacekeeping medals and accompanying ribbons. Where applicable, and available, an outline of the significance of the colours used for a particular ribbon is provided, an indication of the qualifying time necessary for each and a listing of the countries who provided troops, observers or police.

Definitions
  • Medal: In common usage, this term is used to indicate both the bronze medallion and the ribbon from which it is suspended. Commonly, the name of a specific mission will be prefixed, hence, the "UNDOF Medal" etc. In correct usage, this term refers to the medallion only.
  • Ribbon: Length of material woven into a narrow band, of specific colour(s) from which is suspended a bronze medallion only.
  • Standard: Indicates the current bronze medallion issued with a specific ribbon, indicating service with a particular peacekeeping mission.
Medals

In this context, the reference is to the bronze medallion. A total of three medallions have been issued to denote service with UN peacekeeping and other missions. The three are:

  • Korea: A bronze medallion bearing on the obverse the representation of the UN symbol in bas-relief and, on the reverse, the wording "FOR SERVICE IN THE DEFENCE OF THE PRINCIPLES OF THE CHARTER OF THE UNITED NATIONS", also in bas-relief. The medallion is attached to the ribbon by means of a bar which bears the name "KOREA" in bas-relief. The wording shown may be in English, French, Spanish, Danish, Greek, Italian, Dutch, Swedish, Sanskrit or Turkish.

  • UNEF: A bronze medallion bearing on the obverse the representation of the UN symbol surmounted by the letters "UNEF", both in bas-relief and, on the reverse, the words "IN THE SERVICE OF PEACE" in bas-relief.

  • Standard: A bronze medallion bearing on the obverse the representation of the UN symbol surmounted by the letters "UN" both in bas-relief and, on the reverse, the words "IN THE SERVICE OF PEACE" in bas-relief. This standard medallion is used for all missions except the two mentioned above.


Missions specific medals

All medals listed below are considered peacekeeping medals. Please note that this record is not yet complete as we work on including images and descriptions of additional medals instituted for other peacekeeping operations, past and present.

Please click on the left and right arrows to navigate through gallery of medals.The ribbon represents the colours of the Guatemala flag brought together in the center by UN blue. Qualifying time for the medal is 90 days of service in the Mission.The medal has a very wide central band of a sandy brown colour, representing the Sahara Desert, with two narrow bands of UN blue at either end. Ninety days of qualifying time is required for the award.The ribbon bears a band of four colours as follows: The Blue represents the United Nations. The Green symbolizes the lush green countryside and economic potential of Haiti; the Royal Blue symbolizes the ocean surrounding the island of Hispaniola ; the White symbolizes the promise of peace for the Haitian people.MONUC medal was established on 2 May 2000. The ribbon has two outer bands of UN blue, representing the UN presence in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Inside the two bands, there are two equal bars in yellow, they represent the dawn of peace and prosperity. The dark blue in the middle of the yellow represents the Conge river.Originally, the medal awarded for service in the Congo was a UN blue and white ribbon with a bar indicating Congo service. In 1963 it was decided that a distinctive ribbon should be issued. The ribbon subsequently awarded carries a broad centre band of green, symbolic of hope which was thought to be appropriate for a young nation, and also to represent the Congo Basin. The centre band is flanked by two narrow white bands, representing the UN Mission and at either end are two bars of UN blue.The medal ribbon contains five narrow green stripes to represent the five countries involved. These five green stripes are separated by four equal white stripes. The central group is flanked by two equal bands of sea blue to represent the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, flanked in turn by two broad bands of UN blue to represent the United Nations’ presence in the area. Ninety days of service in the Mission are required to qualify for the medal.The colour combination for the ribbon and bars consists of a central wide band of UN blue flanked by two narrow bands of white, representing the Peace, and two bands in green on the sides, representing the tropical climate of Mozambique. Qualifying time for the medal is 90 days of service in the Mission.A medal was established in January 1992 for which 90 days of service is required for qualification. The medal has five equal bars, the centre being white, flanked by dark blue, and, at either end, by UN blue. The dark blue and white represent the national flag of El Salvador.UNAMET/UNTAET medal was established on 9 December 1999. The ribbon has two outer bands of UN blue, representing the UN presence in East Timor. Inside the two bands, there are two equal bars - closest to the blue, the bar is crimson, with the bar closest to the center being sunrise yellow. These colours represent the brilliant and spectacular sunrises and sunsets experienced in East Timor. The center of the ribbon is a band of white, traditionally the colour of peace and hope, the goal this Mission seeks to The ribbon contains a central stripe of UN blue with a red line down the middle representing the UN patrolled Area of Separation; two narrow stripes of black, representing the volcanic rock of the Golan region appear on either side with two narrow bands of white, symbolic of the snow on Mt. Hermon, outside these. At either end are wide bands of burgundy, symbolizing the purple haze at sunset and the native thistles of the Golan. Ninety days service is the qualifying time for award of the medal.The ribbon contains a central broad band of UN blue flanked by three equal stripes of black, white and red, with wide yellow bands at either end. The yellow, red and black are representative of the Angolan national flag, with the white representing the UN presence in the country. A medal was established in December 1993. The ribbon contains a wide centered stripe of UN blue flanked by a narrow stripe of white and three equal stripes of black, green and red. The black colour represents the volcanic lava and the world famous gorillas of the area; green is the colour of the local bush vegetation; and red represents the African soil. Ninety days of service is required for qualification.The medal ribbon contains a white central stripe flanked by dark blue, gold and red stripes, representing the Cambodian flags. These are bordered on either side by a band of UN blue. Qualifying time for the medal is 90 days of service in the Mission.The centre of the ribbon is a wide bar filled with varying shades of brown indicating the dry and rugged mountainous mass in Yemen, while the lighter shades represent the desert. The centre is flanked by two stripes of UN blue. Sixty days of service were required to qualify for the award of the medal.The ribbon has a UN blue background with two narrow white stripes, the colours of the UN. Six months service is the eligibility period for service with UNTSO.The medal ribbon has a background of UN blue with three centered narrow stripes in the colours dark green, white and light green. The dark green represents the jungle and the swampland, white indicates the snow-capped mountains and pale green represents the coral beaches of the region.The centre of the UNTAG ribbon contains five equal stripes in black, yellow, red, green and royal blue, the colours of the five Olympic Rings and representing the five continental regions of the world, all of which were represented in either the military or civilian police components of UNTAG. The centre is flanked by equal bars of a buff or sand colour to represent the Kalahari and Namib deserts with equal bands of UN blue appearing at each end.A medal was established in March 1996 with a qualifying period of 90 days of service.The ribbon has a blue background (representing peace), upon which is a broad red field in the middle bordered by thin white bands representing United Nations Peace Forces’ command. Centered to the left is a narrow light green field (representing forests) and centered to the right is a narrow yellow field (representing cornfields).The medal ribbon and bars feature green, to depict the paddy fields which cover most of the country. The white central stripe is flanked by red stripes representing all the factions’ flags. These are bordered on either side by a band of UN blue and Supreme National Council blue.This medal was established in June 1995 to recognize those military personnel and civilian police serving the United Nations in capacities other than established peacekeeping missions and United Nations Headquarters. The colour combination consists of a large blue stripe framed between two white stripes. In order to identify the theater in which the personnel will have earned the medal, a bar is added with the name of the country or the United Nations organization (UNHCR, UNSCOM, etc).The ribbon : the white background represents Peace and a new beginning. In the center, a broad UN Blue band, representing the UN colors and also the Danube river which allows for the fertility of the Region. Center to left, a narrow yellow band represents the Sunflowers, so native to this land. Centered to the right a narrow dark gray band represents stone and mortar, used not only in the rebuilding of houses in this region, but in the rebuilding of the Nation.The colour combination of the ribbon for the medals and bars consists of a background of UN blue, with a central wide band of red, representing the United Nations Protected Areas (UNPAs), flanked by thin stripes of the white. On the left side there is a narrow band of green, representing forests, and on the right side, a narrow band of brown, representing the mountains. Ninety days of qualifying time is required for the award.A medal was established in May 1996 and a period of 90 days of service is required for qualification. The ribbon has the UN blue background, representing peace, upon which is a broad red field with yellow bands in the middle bordered by thin white bands, representing the UNPREDEP command presence in Macedonia.The background of the ribbon is sand or buff coloured symbolizing the dessert, with a wide center band of UN blue flanked by narrow stripes of dark green symbolizing hope. Qualifying time for the medal is 90 days of service in the Mission.The colour combination of the ribbon for the medal and bars consists of a central wide band of UN blue flanked by two narrow stripes of white representing the Peace, and three stripes of black, gold and red, representing the Ugandan flag. A qualifying time of 180 days is required for the award.A medal was established in March 1994. The ribbon contains one centered stripe of United Nations blue which is flanked by white stripes on either side representing peace. On the left there is a stripe of deep blue representing the Atlantic Ocean littorality with its reliefs, heights, greens and rains. On the right, the red stripe represents the sacrifice of human blood in the terrible carnage. Ninety days of service is required for qualification.A medal was established in February 1994. There are seven equal bars of colour, with a centre core of UN blue, followed by white, representing the snow-covered mountain tops of the Caucasus, then green, representing the coastal plains and foothills, and dark blue representating the Black Sea. Qualifying time is 180 days of service.A medal was established in December 1995 and the ribbon contains a central green stripe, flanked by two white stripes and, at either end, by United Nations blue. The green and white represent the flora and the snow-peaked mountains of Tajikistan. Qualifying time for the award of the medal is 90 days of service in the Mission.A medal was established in May 1996 and the qualifying time is 90 days of service in the Mission. The ribbon has a dark blue background which represents the waters of the Prevlaka peninsula. The yellow central stripe represents the sun that rises, promising a peaceful and prosperous future and is flanked by thin white stripes. These are followed on either side by a band of dark blue and UN blue representing peace.The ribbon bears a wide central band in various shades of green to represent the Himalayan Range and the Kashmir Valley, flanked by narrow white stripes representing the snow-capped mountains. Two equal bars of UN blue appear at either end of the ribbon. Eligibility for the award of the medal is earned following six months of service in the the Mission.The UNMIL medal was established on 1 October 2003 . The ribbon bears two outer bands of United Nations blue, representing the UN presence in the Republic of Liberia . Inside the bands of UN blue are two bands of white, which represents the dawn of Peace and Progress. The red and dark blue bands in the centre reflect the main Liberian National Colours, and the Atlantic Ocean Coastline which is the Symbol of Unity throughout the Country.The UNMIK medal was established in September 1999. The ribbon has two outer bands of light UN blue, symbolizing the presence of the United Nations. The inner band in dark blue symbolizes the International Security presence and the cooperation and support received from it. The two bands in white symbolize the overall objective to promote peace for all the people in Kosovo.The color combination for the ribbon for the medal and bars consists of the royal blue and red of the Republic of Haiti, bordered by the UN blue with two white lines denoting friendship between the two.A medal was established in August 1996 and has five equal bars. The center is white, representing peace, flanked by UN blue on either side; on the left is a stripe of light green, representing the forests in Spring in Bosnia-Herzegovina, and, on the right, a red colour symbolizing the sunrise over the mountains of this country. Ninety days of service are required for qualification.The UNMEE medal was established in January 2001. The ribbon has two outer bands of UN blue, symbolizing the presence of the United Nations. The inner band in green symbolizes hope and fertility of the land. The two bands in tan symbolize religious freedom and the ruggedness of the country.From time to time countries may provide, on a secondment basis, staff trained, military officers to serve in staff positions at United Nations Headquarters in New York to assist with the planning and implementation of new missions. In these cases a medal featuring a solid UN blue ribbon may be awarded after 90 days of service.The ribbon contains a narrow central stripe of UN blue, surrounded by two broad bands of a buff or desert colour. Qualifying time for the medal is 90 days of service in the Mission.The ribbon has a broad central band of UN blue flanked on the left end by three equal stripes in green, white and red to represent the Iranian flag, and on the right end, by three equal stripes of red, white and black to represent the Iraqi flag. Ninety days of service in the Mission were required to qualify for the medal.The ribbon bears three equal bands of UN colour: blue, green and UN blue. The bands are separated by two equal sized white stripes, each bisected by a narrow red line. The colours represent the UN and Lebanese flags. The qualifying period of service to earn the medal is 90 days of service in the Mission.The medal has three equal bars, one of white in the centre and two of UN blue at either end. The bars are separated by two narrow bands of dark blue symbolizing the Mediterranean Sea. Qualifying time for the medal is three months of service in the Mission.The ribbon bears a wide central band of a sand or buff colour symbolizing the Sinai Desert with two narrow dark blue lines through the middle, representing the Suez Canal. Two wide bars of UN blue appear at either end. Eligibility period was 90 days of service in the Mission.