United Nations Special Service Medal
Encyclopedia
The United Nations Special Service Medal (UNSSM) is presented to personnel with 90 days of service with a United Nations
mission not covered by a specific United Nations Medal
. United Nations Headquarters
service is not eligible.
depicts the official emblem of the United Nations, a world map oriented from the north pole. Above the emblem are the letters UN. The reverse is plain except for the words "In the Service of Peace" in relief. This design is common to the all United Nations Medal
s starting with the UNTSO Medal and the UNMOGIP Medal and follows the current convention of a common medal design with a varying ribbon.
The ribbon of the UN Special Service Medal is wide stripe of light blue, often referred to as UN Blue, with white edges.
Claps or medal bar
s are worn on the ribbon of the medal to denote areas of service with the country name where the service took place, or the name of the UN organization involved. Examples are a "Timor Leste" clasp for service with UNOTIL in East Timor, "Afghanistan" for service with UNAMA in Afghanisan, or "UNSCOM" for service in Iraq.
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
mission not covered by a specific United Nations Medal
United Nations Medal
The term United Nations Medal refers to one of several international decorations which are issued by the United Nations to the various militaries of the world for participation in joint international military and police operations such as peacekeeping, humanitarian efforts, and disaster relief...
. United Nations Headquarters
United Nations headquarters
The headquarters of the United Nations is a complex in New York City. The complex has served as the official headquarters of the United Nations since its completion in 1952. It is located in the Turtle Bay neighborhood of Manhattan, on spacious grounds overlooking the East River...
service is not eligible.
Eligibility
The following is an incomplete listing of eligible missions which qualify for the Special Service Medal:- United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian AffairsOffice for the Coordination of Humanitarian AffairsThe United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs , is a United Nations body formed in December 1991 by General Assembly Resolution 46/182...
(UNOCHA) Peshwar 1989 to 1990 - United Nations Mine Awareness and Clearance Training Program in Pakistan and Afghanistan 1989 to 1991
- United Nations Special Commission on Iraq (UNSCOM), 180 non-consecutive days may also fulfill service requirement. April 1991 to the present
- Service with United Nations High Commissioner for RefugeesUnited Nations High Commissioner for RefugeesThe Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees , also known as The UN Refugee Agency is a United Nations agency mandated to protect and support refugees at the request of a government or the UN itself and assists in their voluntary repatriation, local integration or resettlement to...
(UNHCR) detachments in support of the Sarajevo AirliftOperation Provide PromiseOperation Provide Promise was a humanitarian relief operation in Bosnia and Herzegovina during the Yugoslav Wars, from 2 July 1992, to 9 January 1996, which made it the longest running humanitarian airlift in history....
or 100 landings in Sarajevo while serving as part of Operation Cheshire (United Kingdom) 1 July 1992 to 12 January 1996 or Operation Airbridge (Canada) 15 February 1992 to 31 March 1995 - Cambodian Mine Action Center (CMAC) 17 February 1994 to present
- United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) as part of Operation Accius November 2002 to present
- Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary General in West Africa as part of Operation Solitude since 22 March 2003.
- United Nations Advance Mission to Sudan (UNAMIS) as part of Operation Safari from July 2004 to 23 March 2005.
- United Nations Assistance Mission in IraqUnited Nations Assistance Mission in IraqThe United Nations Assistance Mission in Iraq is an entity that was formed by the United Nations in Security Council Resolution 1500 on 14 August 2003.-Mandate:...
, 2 October 2004 to present - United Nations Department of Humanitarian Affairs Accelerated De-Mining Programme (MADP) in Mozambique 1995 to 2005
- United Nations Demining Programme National Institute for the Removal of Obstacles and Explosive Ordnance (INAROE) in Angola 1997-2000
- Programme for the Assistance to the Lao National Unexploded Ordnance Programme (UXOL) from 1997 to 2003
- United Nations Monitoring, Verification and Inspection CommissionUnited Nations Monitoring, Verification and Inspection CommissionThe United Nations Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission was created through the adoption of United Nations Security Council resolution 1284 of 17 December 1999....
(UNMOVIC) in Iraq from 2002 to 2003 - United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) from 2004 to the present
- United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) from 2005 to the present
- United Nations Office in Timor-Leste (UNOTIL) in East TimorEast TimorThe Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, commonly known as East Timor , is a state in Southeast Asia. It comprises the eastern half of the island of Timor, the nearby islands of Atauro and Jaco, and Oecusse, an exclave on the northwestern side of the island, within Indonesian West Timor...
from 2005 to 2006 - United Nations Mine Action Coordination Centre in Southern Lebanon (UNMACC-SL) from 2007 to 2008
Appearance
The UN Special Service Medal is a circular bronze medal 35 mm in diameter. The obverseObverse and reverse
Obverse and its opposite, reverse, refer to the two flat faces of coins and some other two-sided objects, including paper money, flags , seals, medals, drawings, old master prints and other works of art, and printed fabrics. In this usage, obverse means the front face of the object and reverse...
depicts the official emblem of the United Nations, a world map oriented from the north pole. Above the emblem are the letters UN. The reverse is plain except for the words "In the Service of Peace" in relief. This design is common to the all United Nations Medal
United Nations Medal
The term United Nations Medal refers to one of several international decorations which are issued by the United Nations to the various militaries of the world for participation in joint international military and police operations such as peacekeeping, humanitarian efforts, and disaster relief...
s starting with the UNTSO Medal and the UNMOGIP Medal and follows the current convention of a common medal design with a varying ribbon.
The ribbon of the UN Special Service Medal is wide stripe of light blue, often referred to as UN Blue, with white edges.
Claps or medal bar
Medal bar
A medal bar or medal clasp is a thin metal bar attached to the ribbon of a military decoration, civil decoration, or other medal. It is most commonly used to indicate the campaign or operation the recipient received the award for, and multiple bars on the same medal are used to indicate that the...
s are worn on the ribbon of the medal to denote areas of service with the country name where the service took place, or the name of the UN organization involved. Examples are a "Timor Leste" clasp for service with UNOTIL in East Timor, "Afghanistan" for service with UNAMA in Afghanisan, or "UNSCOM" for service in Iraq.