The United Nations is set to honour two Rwandan soldiers who lost their lives during its peacekeeping mission in the Central African Republic (CAR) last year.
The fallen soldiers to be honored on May 29, 2025, as the United Nations will be marking the International Day of Peacekeepers at its New York headquarters, are Sergeant Major Murwanashyaka Fiston, who died on February 24, 2024, and Corporal Eliakim Niyitegeka, who died on July 11, 2024.
Both will be part of 57 peacekeepers posthumously awarded the Dag Hammarskjöld Medal at a ceremony in New York. These include 23 soldiers, 33 civilians, and one police officer.
Dag Hammarskjöld was the second Secretary-General of the United Nations, serving from April 1953 until his death in September 1961 in a plane crash in Zambia.
On July 22, 1997, the UN Security Council adopted a resolution establishing the Dag Hammarskjöld Medal to honor all personnel who die while serving in UN peacekeeping missions.
The medal’s regulations, established by then Secretary-General Kofi Annan in December 2000, state that any soldier, police officer, or civilian who dies in the line of duty, provided they were not involved in misconduct or crimes, will be awarded the medal.
The Secretary-General will also present awards to the 2024 Military Gender Advocate of the Year, Squadron Leader Sharon Mwinsote Syme from Ghana, and the UN Woman Police Officer of the Year award to Superintendent Zainab Gbla of Sierra Leone.
Both of them serve with the United Nations Interim Security Force in Abyei (UNISFA).
This year’s theme for the Day is “the Future of Peacekeeping”. The theme emphasizes that the Pact for the Future — adopted last year at the United Nations — includes a commitment to adapt peacekeeping to changing world, as expressed by Member States’ pledges presented to fill capability gaps and help adapt UN peacekeeping to emerging challenges and new realities at the recent Peacekeeping Ministerial in Berlin.
In his message, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres said: “Today, peacekeepers face increasingly complex situations in an increasingly complex world… Now more than ever, the world needs the United Nations — and the United Nations needs peacekeeping that is fully equipped for today’s realities and tomorrow’s challenges.”
“Today, we honour their service,” Guterres stated. “We draw inspiration from their resilience, dedication and courage. And we remember all the brave women and men who made the ultimate sacrifice for peace. We will never forget them — and we will carry their work forward.”
“Our personnel are our most important capability. The sacrifices made by our peacekeepers call for more than remembrance; they demand action,” said Jean-Pierre Lacroix, Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations.
“Throughout its history, peacekeeping has always adapted to ever-changing contexts to achieve results. The future of peacekeeping hinges on our collective commitment to continue to adapt and invest—so we can continue delivering hope and protection where it’s needed most,” he added.
The International Day of UN Peacekeepers was established by the UN General Assembly in 2002, to pay tribute to all men and women serving in peacekeeping, and to honour the memory of those who have lost their lives in the cause of peace.
