Captain Mbaye Diagne Medal

UN Security Council
Resolution 2154
An illustration of the medal
Date8 May 2014
Meeting no.7170
CodeS/RES/2154 (Document)
SubjectCreation of the Captain Mbaye Diagne Medal for Exceptional Courage
Voting summary
  • 15 voted for
  • None voted against
  • None abstained
ResultAdopted
Security Council composition
Permanent members
Non-permanent members
Ribbon

The Captain Mbaye Diagne Medal for Exceptional Courage is, along with the Dag Hammarskjöld Medal and the United Nations Medal, one of three awards of the United Nations. It is awarded to "military, police, civilian United Nations personnel and associated personnel who demonstrate exceptional courage, in the face of extreme danger, while fulfilling the mandate of their missions or their functions, in the service of humanity and the United Nations".[1] It was created on 8 May 2014 by the United Nations Security Council in its Resolution 2154[a] and is named for Mbaye Diagne, a Senegalese Captain and Military Observer serving with the United Nations Assistance Mission for Rwanda (UNAMIR), who was killed in action in Kigali on 31 May 1994.[2][1]

The first medal was awarded posthumously to Diagne and was received by his widow and two children in the UN General Assembly Hall on 19 May 2016.[3] In 2019, it was awarded to Private Chancy Chitete, from the Malawian contingent of the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO), who was killed during fighting against the Allied Democratic Forces.[4] On 26 May 2022, the Captain Mbaye Diagne Medal was awarded posthumously to Captain Abdelrazakh Hamit Bahar of Chad for his bravery during his deployment with the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA).[5]

In 2026, Uruguayan Sergeant Matías Reyes Peñaloza became the fourth recipient of the Captain Mbaye Diagne Medal. The medal was awarded by the United Nations Secretary-General, António Guterres, in an official ceremony, in recognition of Reyes's service and commitment to peace, both on mission with Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) and in the performance of his duty.[6][7]

Award requirements and design

The medal is awarded, irrespective of the United Nations Medal, to persons who, while participating in a UN mission in an extremely dangerous situation, have shown extraordinary courage.

On the front side of the gold-coloured medal is the emblem of the United Nations with the text United Nations, Exceptional Courage, on the back the text Captain Mbaye Diagne Medal, in the Service of Peace. The ribbon is light blue-gold striped.[8]

Medal

  • 2016: Mbaye Diagne, Senegal
  • 2019: Chancy Chitete, Malawi
  • 2022: Abdelrazakh Hamit Bahar, Chad
  • 2026: Matías Reyes Peñaloza, Uruguay[9]

Notes

  1. ↑ The Security Council unanimously adopted Resolution 2154 on 8 May 2014 at its 7170th meeting.[1]

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Security Council Resolution 2154 (2014)". United Nations Digital Library. 8 May 2014.
  2. ↑ "Security Council creates new medal to honour 'exceptional courage' of UN personnel". United Nations News Centre. 8 May 2014. Retrieved 1 February 2024.
  3. ↑ Margaret Besheer (19 May 2016). "UN Recognizes Exceptional Bravery of Senegalese Peacekeeper". VOA.
  4. ↑ APO Group (21 May 2019). "UN Secretary-General to commemorate fallen peacekeepers, Captain Mbaye Diagne Medal for Exceptional Courage to be awarded for the first time since inaugural medal". Archived from the original on 8 May 2021. Retrieved 17 February 2020.
  5. ↑ "Note to Correspondents: Fallen Chadian Captain Honoured with United Nations Peacekeeping's Highest Award". 26 May 2022.
  6. ↑ "Tres uruguayos, homenajeados en Naciones Unidas por su servicio a la paz" [Three Uruguayans honoured at the United Nations for their service to peace]. United Nations. 14 June 2026. Retrieved 14 June 2026.
  7. ↑ "Sergeant Matias Reyes awarded the Mbaye Diagne Medal: "We simply did our duty"". MONUSCO. 5 June 2026. Retrieved 18 June 2026.
  8. ↑ United Nations (1 July 2016). "Awarding the Captain Mbaye Diagne Medal for Exceptional Courage" (PDF). Retrieved 31 May 2025.
  9. ↑ "Sargento salteño Matías Reyes Peñaloza recibió de Naciones Unidas la máxima distinción mundial al "valor excepcional"". Diario Cambio (in Spanish). Uruguay. 12 June 2026. Retrieved 18 June 2026.
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