Six Bangladeshi peacekeepers, who lost their lives while serving with the United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA) in Kadugli, Sudan, were posthumously honoured with the prestigious Dag Hammarskjöld Medal on Friday.
The ceremony marking the International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers was held at UN Headquarters in New York.
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres handed over the medals to Bangladesh’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations Ambassador Salahuddin Noman Chowdhury during a commemorative ceremony marking the International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers at UN Headquarters in New York.
The fallen peacekeepers Corporal Md Masud Rana, Private Md Jahangir Alam, Private Md Sobuj Mia, Private Md Mominul Islam, Private Shamim Reza and Private Santo Mondol were killed in a drone strike on 13 December 2025 while serving under the UN flag, said the Bangladesh Permanent Mission in New York on Saturday.
During the commemorative event, the Secretary-General laid a wreath in honour of nearly 4,500 peacekeepers who have lost their lives in the line of duty since 1948 and called for a minute of silence in their memory.
He also highlighted the contributions of more than 50,000 UN peacekeepers currently serving in missions worldwide to protect civilians and support peace in conflict-affected regions.
This year, the Dag Hammarskjöld Medal was awarded to 68 military, police and civilian peacekeepers from 33 Member States who made the ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty.
Following the ceremony, Ambassador Salahuddin Noman Chowdhury paid tribute to the fallen peacekeepers by signing the Book of Condolence in their memory.
The United Nations paused on Friday to pay tribute to the more than 4,500 peacekeepers who lost their lives in the line of duty over the past 78 years.
The commemoration of the International Day of UN Peacekeepers came hours after another blue helmet serving with the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) died from injuries sustained in a mortar attack, as hostilities continue between Israeli troops and Hezbollah militants.
The day began with UN Secretary-General António Guterres laying a wreath at the Peacekeepers Memorial on the Secretariat grounds in New York before presiding over a solemn ceremony in the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) attended by senior officials, the diplomatic community, and bereaved family members and colleagues.