The United Nations Medal
Overview
In 1966, the United Nations began issuing a standard United Nations Medal with different coloured mission ribbons. Some related missions utilise the same distinctive ribbon.
The Sovereign has given approval for New Zealand military personnel and New Zealand civilian police to accept and wear the United Nations Medal for service in approved United Nations missions.
For more information on ribbons approved for wear on the NZDF uniform, see Wearing this medal below.
Description
The standard United Nations Medal is bronze in colour and circular in shape, bearing on the obverse the emblem of the United Nations. The reverse features the inscription “IN THE SERVICE OF PEACE”.
Ribbons vary by mission.
Numerals may be issued with this medal.
Eligibility
Eligibility varies by mission. Standard criteria require 90 days of continuous service.
For service commencing on or after 1 September 1994, individuals may qualify for a Numeral 2 after 270 days of continuous service or on the 90th continuous day of their second deployment on the same UN mission. United Nations eligibility criteria require that 'only periods of at least 90 consecutive days can be counted towards the total qualifying period' for a UN medal or a numeral.
For service before 1 September 1994, only separate deployments (each of at least 90 days continuous service) qualify for the award of a numeral. An individual is required to serve 'more than one tour of duty (TOD) with a UN mission' to be eligible to wear a numeral. Eligibility for a numeral is not governed by the length of any one TOD but the number of TODs in the same Peacekeeping Operation (PKO). Service personnel must be fully repatriated and then reassigned to the same mission at a subsequent date to be eligible for a numeral.
Note: Numerals are not awarded with the United Nations Special Service Medal.
For a list of missions approved for wear on NZDF uniforms, see Wearing this medal below.
For further information on United Nations missions:
Queries & requests
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Wearing this medal
The United Nations Medal is worn as a campaign medal in the New Zealand Order of Wear. Campaign medals are worn in order of date of participation in the campaign, operation, or peacekeeping mission for which the medal was awarded. This includes United Nations, NATO mission, and European Union mission medals. As a result, different individuals may mount their medals in different orders depending on the time served in theatre.
Service with the following missions has been approved for acceptance and wear on New Zealand uniforms:
- First United Nations Emergency Force - Middle East (UNEF I) - 1956
- United Nations Observation Group in Lebanon (UNOGIL) - 1958
- United Nations Operation in the Congo (ONUC) - 1960
- United Nations Yemen Observation Mission (UNYOM) 1963-1964
- United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP) – 1964-1967
- United Nations India-Pakistan Observation Mission (UNMOGIP) - 1952-1976
- Second United Nations Emergency Force II - Middle East (UNEF II) - 1973
- United Nations Disengagement Observer Force - Golan Heights (UNDOF) – 1974; 1982; 1986
- United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) - 1978-1979; 1981-1982; 1986
- United Nations Iran/Iraq Military Observer Group (UNIIMOG) – 1988-1991
- United Nations Transition Assistance Group – Namibia (UNTAG)- 1989-1990
- United Nations Angola Verification Mission (UNAVEM II and UNAVEM III) – 1991-1997
- United Nations Observer Mission in Angola (MONUA) – 1997-2000
- United Nations Advance Mission in Cambodia (UNAMIC) 1991-1992
- United Nations Transitional Authority in Cambodia /United Nations Military Liaison Team (UNTAC) – 1992-1993
- United Nations Operations in Somalia (UNOSOM and UNOSOM II) – 1992-1994
- United Nations Protection Force - Former Yugoslavia(UNPROFOR) – 1992-1996
- United Nations Confidence Restoration Operation – Croatia (UNCRO) 1995-1996
- United Nations Mission in Haiti (UNMIH) – 1994-1995
- United Nations Operation in Mozambique (ONUMOZ) – 1994-1995
- United Nations Preventive Deployment Force - Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (UNPREDEP) – 1995-1999
- United Nations Transitional Administration for Eastern Slavonia, Baranja and Western Sirmium (UNTAES) – 1995-1997
- United Nations Mission of Observers in Prevlaka (UNMOP) – 1995-2002
- United Nations Observer Mission in Sierra Leone (UNOMSIL) – 1998-2005
- United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL) – 1998-2005
- United Nations Assistance Mission in East Timor (UNAMET) - 1999
- United Nations Transitional Administration in East Timor (UNTAET) – 1999-2002
- United Nations Mission of Support in East Timor (UNMISET) – 2002-2005
- United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) 1999-2008
- United Nations Mission in Sudan (UNMIS) – 2005-2011
- United Nations Integrated Mission in Timor-Leste (UNMIT) – 2006-2012
- United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) – 2011-current
- United Nations Supervision Mission in Syria (UNSMIS) – 2012
- United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) 2018-2019
For more information on how to wear and care for honours, medals, and awards:
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Checking eligibility and applying for this medal
NZDF Personnel Archives and Medals (PAM) does not approve or issue United Nations Medals.
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Checking if this medal was issued
Honours, medals, and awards bestowed on an individual for service in the New Zealand Armed Forces are recorded in their individual service record. NZDF Personnel Archives and Medals holds a collection of about 1.5 million service records relating to 420,000 New Zealand service personnel who served in New Zealand’s Military Forces after the First World War.
Service records are not currently digitised, but we can locate it and find the information you might be looking for or help you book a time for you to see the records in Trentham by completing the form on the Service Record page.