United Nations Protection Force in Yugoslavia Medal (UNPROFOR)

Issued by the United Nations for 90 days or more participation as part of United Nations multinational protection forces, otherwise known as “UNPROFOR” – established in February 1992 – principally tasked with facilitating the conditions of peace and security required for the negotiation of an overall settlement of the Yugoslavian crisis. The role of the UN troops was to ensure that areas designated as "UN Protected Areas" (UNPA) became and remained demilitarized and that all persons residing in these areas were protected from fear of armed attack. The role of UN police monitors was to ensure that local police forces carried out their duties without discriminating against persons of any nationality or abusing any human rights. The force also assisted the humanitarian agencies of the UN in the return of all displaced persons who so desired. There were several extensions of the original UNPROFOR covering subsequent operations through January of 1996. The countries of Argentina, Australia, Bangladesh, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Czechoslovakia, Denmark, Egypt, Finland, France, Ghana, India, Indonesia, Ireland, the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, Kenya, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Nepal, the Kingdom of the Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, Norway, Pakistan, Poland, Portugal, the Russian Federation, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Tunisia, Turkey, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the United States of America, Venezuela and Ukraine provided troops or observers to this Mission. The color combination of the ribbon for the medals and bars consists of a background of UN blue, with a central wide band of red, representing the United Nations Protected Areas (UNPAs), flanked by thin stripes of the white. On the left side there is a narrow band of green, representing forests, and on the right side, a narrow band of brown, representing the mountains.