UN to Honour Two Fallen Indian Peacekeepers on International Day of UN Peacekeepers

On International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers, United Nations will honor the two Indian peacekeepers  who have lost their lives while serving under the UN flag. At the same time, Indian Army officer Major Abhilasha Barak will also receive the UN award for promoting gender inclusion and empowerment during the peacekeeping operations.

UN to Posthumously Honour Two Indian Peacekeepers

The United Nations will posthumously award the prestigious Dag Hammarskjold Medal to the Lance Havildar Harbhajan Singh and Naib Subedar Sujit Kumar Pradhan for their sacrifice while serving in the UN peacekeeping missions.

Lance Havildar Harbhajan Singh served with the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO), and the Naib Subedar Sujit Kumar Pradhan was deployed with the United Nations Mission in the South Sudan (UNMISS).

This medals will be presented by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres during the International Day of UN Peacekeepers ceremony and honoring their dedication and ultimate sacrifice in the some of the world’s most challenging conflict zones.

Major Abhilasha Barak Receives 2025 Military Gender Advocate Award

Major Abhilasha Barak has been also selected for the 2025 Military Gender Advocate of the Year Award.

Currently she is serving with the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) and Major Barak commands the Female Engagement Team (FET).

Through her leadership she has actively promoted the gender awareness, women’s participation into the peacebuilding initiatives and community engagement activities.

She is widely recognized as the first woman combat helicopter pilot of the Indian Army,

Third Indian Officer to Receive the Honour

Major Abhilasha Barak also becomes the third Indian officer to receive this prestigious UN recognition.

She follows the,

• Major Suman Gawani
• Major Radhika Sen

Both the officers were honored in the previous years for their outstanding contributions to gender equality and community engagement during UN peacekeeping deployments.

India’s Strong Presence in UN Peacekeeping Missions

India has been remains one of the most important contributors to United Nations peacekeeping efforts.

Currently over 4,200 Indian military and police personnel, including the 155 women peacekeepers are serving in the various UN missions worldwide.

Indian peacekeepers are currently deployed in the countries like,

• Abyei
• Cyprus
• Democratic Republic of the Congo
• Lebanon
• Somalia
• South Sudan
• Western Sahara

India is currently the second largest contributor of the personnel to UN peacekeeping operations.

What is the Dag Hammarskjold Medal?

The Dag Hammarskjold Medal is one of the highest honors awarded by the United Nations.

It was named after former UN Secretary-General Dag Hammarskjold and the medal is awarded posthumously to military, police and civilian personnel who lose their lives while serving in the UN peacekeeping missions.