| United Nations Special Service Medal | |
| Presenter: | the United Nations |
| Type: | Service medal |
| Eligibility: | Soldiers and police officers serving with UN missions |
| Awarded For: | 90 days on a peace mission for which no other medal was established |
| Established: | June 1995 |
| Higher: | Varies by country |
| Lower: | Varies by country |
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.[1]
The following is an incomplete listing of eligible missions which qualify for the Special Service Medal:
The UN Special Service Medal is a circular bronze medal 35 mm in diameter. The obverse 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 Medals starting with the UNTSO Medal and the UNMOGIP Medal and follows the current convention of a common medal design with a varying ribbon.[5]
The ribbon of the UN Special Service Medal is wide stripe of light blue, often referred to as UN Blue,[3] with white edges.
Claps or medal bars 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.[3] Examples are a "Timor Leste" clasp for service with UNOTIL in East Timor,[4] "Afghanistan" for service with UNAMA in Afghanistan,[4] or "UNSCOM" for service in Iraq.[2]