The Commemorative Medal for Armed Humanitarian Operations (Médaille commémorative pour opérations humanitaires armées / Herinneringsmedaille voor Gewapende Humanitaire Operaties) is a military decoration of Belgium established on 11 September 1987 and awarded to military and civilian members of the Belgian Armed Forces who participated in armed humanitarian operations.
The list of the operations for which the medal is awarded is included in the Royal Decree creating the medal, it is amended on a regular basis. If a person participated in more than one such operation, he or she will be awarded the same medal for each of these operations, each award represented by an additional clasp on the ribbon.
In the period 2009-2013, the Commemorative Medal for Armed Humanitarian Operations was awarded 119 times.
The Commemorative Medal for Armed Humanitarian Operation Design
The medal is circular and struck in bronze. The obverse bears at its center a blue enameled octagon with a yellow five-pointed star in the center. Along the outer circumference of the medal are thin enameled lines of black, yellow, and red surrounding the relief inscription “ARMED HUMANITARIAN OPERATIONS” (OPÉRATIONS HUMANITAIRES ARMÉES / GEWAPENDE HUMANITAIRE OPERATIES). The obverse is plain.
The ribbon is azure blue, with three thin longitudinal bars in the national colors of Belgium (black, yellow and red). Small bronze clasps bear the names of the operations in which the recipient participated.
