Inspector general of police (IGP) Benazir Ahmed and UN Police advisor Luis Carrilho on Friday held "a productive discussion" on matters of mutual interest at the UN Headquarters in New York. During the meeting, Carrilho acknowledged contributions of Bangladesh Police in UN peacekeeping missions and praised the professionalism and competency of the force while discharging duties in East Timor, Mali and Haiti, according to a release. The UN Police advisor also lauded Bangladesh government’s efforts to increase the number of women in peacekeeping missions, terming it as an important step in empowering women and establishing gender equality. “I hope that Bangladesh Police will continue assisting the UN peacekeeping missions to the highest level in the coming days,” said Carrilho. Read: US sanctions outcome of USD 100 million project: IGP On his part, IGP Benazir expressed the readiness of his force in meeting any requirement by the UN peacekeeping missions. He also made various requests, including deployment of special units, recruitment of officers in top posts and exchange of equipment. “Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina views the UN peacekeeping programme with great importance. In the future, we’ll definitely extend our helping hands whenever needed,” said IGP Benazir. Brigadier General Md Sadekuzzaman, military adviser to Bangladesh’s permanent mission to the UN, and Nasian Wazed, additional deputy inspector general (DIG) of the overseas and UN operations branch of police headquarters, among others, were present at the meeting.