The United Nations will honor three Moroccan peacekeepers with the Dag Hammarskjöld Medal posthumously as part of commemorations marking the International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers, observed globally on May 29.
According to a statement from the United Nations Information Centre in Rabat, the official ceremony will take place on June 5 at UN headquarters in New York under the theme “Investing in Peace.”
On that day, UN Secretary-General António Guterres will lay a wreath in tribute to fallen peacekeepers and preside over a ceremony during which the Dag Hammarskjöld Medal will be awarded posthumously to 68 peacekeepers, including military personnel, police, and civilians, who lost their lives in the line of duty. Of those, 59 died in the past year.
The three Moroccan recipients are Corporal Driss Guebgabi and First-Class Soldier Achraf Boukdama, who served with the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA), and First-Class Corporal Jawad Erritali, who served with the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO).
Morocco ranks ninth among countries contributing military and police personnel to UN peacekeeping operations. More than 1,300 Moroccan peacekeepers, including 78 women, are currently deployed in missions in the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and South Sudan.
The UN General Assembly established the International Day of UN Peacekeepers in 2002, choosing May 29 to mark the anniversary of the creation of the organization’s first peacekeeping mission in 1948, the United Nations Truce Supervision Organization.
According to official UN figures, more than 50,000 peacekeepers, including civilian, military, and police personnel, are currently serving under the UN flag in some of the world’s most complex environments. A total of 118 countries contribute uniformed personnel to 11 ongoing peacekeeping missions.
Guterres is also expected to award the Captain Mbaye Diagne Medal for Exceptional Courage, as well as the 2025 UN Military Gender Advocate of the Year Award and the UN Woman Police Officer of the Year Award.
In a message marking the occasion, Guterres paid tribute to both past and present peacekeepers, reaffirming the international community’s responsibility to support their efforts.
“We honor peacekeepers, past and present, and renew our shared commitment to respect and support their service,” he said, noting that nearly 4,500 peacekeepers have lost their lives since 1948, including 59 in the past year. “No one should die in the service of peace.”
He added that attacks against peacekeepers constitute serious violations of international humanitarian law and called on member states to ensure the safety and security of UN personnel at all times.
“In a world marked by rising tensions, peacekeeping remains a proven and cost-effective tool to restore stability and hope,” Guterres said, stressing the need for sustained political and financial support.
During a separate ceremony, the secretary-general will award the Captain Mbaye Diagne Medal to Sergeant Matías Reinoso of Uruguay for actions in Goma, eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, in early 2025. The medal will also be awarded posthumously to Serhii Prykhodko of Ukraine, who served with the UN mission in South Sudan (MINUSS) and was killed in March last year during an evacuation operation.
The 2025 Military Gender Advocate of the Year Award will be presented to Major Abhilasha Barak of India, serving with the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), while the Woman Police Officer of the Year Award will go to Chief Superintendent Stephanie König of Germany, who served with the UN mission in South Sudan.
Jean-Pierre Lacroix, UN Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations, said that despite rising conflicts and limited resources, UN peacekeepers continue to protect civilians, prevent the escalation of violence, and sustain hope in some of the world’s most challenging environments.
“Investing in peacekeeping is an investment in stability, prevention, and the possibility of peace itself,” he said.
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