Six Bangladeshi peacekeepers who lost their lives while serving in United Nations peacekeeping missions have been posthumously awarded the Dag Hammarskjöld Medal, one of the UN’s highest honours.
The medals were presented at a ceremony held at the UN headquarters in New York on Friday to mark the International Day of UN Peacekeepers, according to a message received in Dhaka on Saturday.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres handed over the medals to Bangladesh’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Salahuddin Noman Chowdhury.
The recipients are Corporal Md Masud Rana, Private Md Jahangir Alam, Md Sabuj Mia, Md Mominul Islam, Shamim Reza and Santo Mondal.
According to UN sources, the six peacekeepers were killed in a drone attack while carrying out peacekeeping duties in the Abyei region in December 2025. They were serving with the United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA) at the time.
The Dag Hammarskjöld Medal is awarded posthumously to military, police and civilian personnel in recognition of their sacrifice while serving in UN peacekeeping operations.
During the ceremony, tribute was paid to peacekeepers who lost their lives in the line of duty, and a minute of silence was observed in their memory.
Addressing the event, Guterres also highlighted the contributions of more than 50,000 UN peacekeepers currently serving in conflict-affected regions around the world. He praised their role in protecting civilians and supporting peace efforts.
This year, 68 peacekeepers from 33 countries were posthumously awarded the Dag Hammarskjöld Medal, including six from Bangladesh.
Following the ceremony, Ambassador Salahuddin Noman Chowdhury signed the condolence book at the UN headquarters in memory of the fallen peacekeepers.
Bangladesh remains one of the largest contributors of troops and police personnel to UN peacekeeping missions and has earned international recognition for the professionalism, dedication and sacrifice of its peacekeepers.