UN honours two Indonesian peacekeepers

The United Nations (UN) has officially awarded the Dag Hammarskjöld medal to two Indonesian peacekeepers who died while on duty in 2025. According to the Permanent Mission of the Republic of Indonesia (PTRI) to the UN in New York, the medals were presented during a ceremony commemorating International Day of Peacekeeping at the UN Headquarters in New York on Friday (5/6).

During the ceremony, UN Secretary-General António Guterres presented the prestigious Dag Hammarskjöld medal to honour UN peacekeepers who sacrificed their lives for world peace throughout 2025. “Indonesia pays its deepest respects to our fallen personnel,” stated the PTRI New York in a statement released in Jakarta on Saturday.

The medals were presented to the Permanent Representative of Indonesia to the UN, Umar Hadi, accompanied by the Military Adviser to PTRI New York, Brigadier General Robertus Subono.

“Their sacrifice is a testament to Indonesia’s unwavering dedication to peace,” the PTRI New York added. This year, the total number of posthumous recipients, including the two Indonesian peacekeepers, reached 68 individuals. Currently, over 50,000 peacekeepers from 118 contributing nations are participating in 11 UN peacekeeping missions.

Indonesia is the sixth-largest contributor to UN peacekeeping missions, deploying nearly 2,000 military and police personnel, including 156 women, to various UN peacekeeping operations in conflict zones. Meanwhile, four other Indonesian peacekeepers who died while serving with the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) during the Israel-Hezbollah conflict earlier this year are scheduled to receive the Dag Hammarskjöld medal in 2027.