United Nations Under-Secretaries General Jean-Pierre Lacroix and Catherine Pollard jointly paid a courtesy call on Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at her official residence Ganabhaban on Sunday (June 25, 2023). In the meeting, they discussed different issues including the UN peacekeeping operations, climate change and women security, PM's Press Secretary Ihsanul Karim told reporters. The UN officials said the world body has successfully completed 75 years of its peacekeeping operation. Read: Discrimination, sexual abuse have no place in Peacekeeping Missions, Dhaka says They highly praised the Bangladeshi peacekeepers for their contribution to maintain peace. In this regard, the prime minister told the UN officials that Bangladesh has been contributing to the UN peacekeeping missions for three decades with dedication and professionalism. She said Bangladesh is the largest troops contributing country for the UN peacekeeping missions. "Some 7,500 Bangladeshi males and females are employed in nine UN peacekeeping missions around the globe," the press secretary quoted her as saying. Catherine Pollard thanked the prime minister for Bangladesh's contribution to the trust fund to check sexual exploitation and abuse. In reply, Hasina said Bangladesh is deeply committed to women security and increasing women's participation in UN peacekeeping. Read: UN USG for Peace Operations Lacroix to attend 1st peacekeeping ministerial preparatory meeting in Dhaka She reiterated her government's zero tolerance policy against sexual exploitation and abuse. She said Bangladesh has taken serious punitive measures against the individuals who were found guilty through investigation in this regard. Talking about climate change, the PM said Bangladesh is a vulnerable country and her government is implementing mitigation and adaptation programmes with its own funds. Ambassador-at-Large Mohammad Ziauddin, Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen, Principal Staff Officer of the Armed Forces Division Lieutenant General Waker-Uz-Zaman, Inspector General of Police Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun and Bangladesh Permanent Representative to the United Nations Muhammad Abdul Muhith were present at the meeting. Read more: Evolution of UN Peacekeeping into 4th generation will create new challenges for third world countries including Bangladesh: BIPSS president

Three Bangladeshi peacekeepers were injured in an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) blast in Mali on Sunday (May 28, 2023) morning. The blast took place on Sunday at around 9:30 am local time in Mali, when a motorcade of a patrol team under Bangladesh Formed Police Unit (BANFPU-2) reached the remote desert road along the mountains of Gundam-Tongka-Niaphungke Highway, some 15 km off from the Gundam Super Camp in Mali's Timbuktu Region, according to a press release issued from Police headquarters here on Monday evening. The Armoured personnel Carrier (APC), which was carrying the policemen, was also damaged in the incident, says the press release. The Police headquarters did not disclose identities of the three injured Bangladeshi police peacekeepers. Read more: US lauds Bangladeshi peacekeepers' role The patrol team was part of the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA). According to the press release, the peacekeepers on patrol duty spotted a suspicious hole in the middle of the road. The IED exploded as they maneuvered past the hole. “Due to the intelligence of the police peacekeepers and the APCTs' capability to withstand the high-level explosions, they escaped from greater danger,” said the press release. It is also to be noted that MINUSMA authorities have highly appreciated the members of BANFPU-2, MINUSMA, and Mali as they have performed their peacekeeping duties with utmost professionalism and vigilance. Read more: 3 Bangladeshi peacekeepers injured in Central African Republic IED blast die IED blasts are common in this region of Mali.

The United Nations’ Military Advisor General Birame Diop in a meeting with a Bangladeshi delegation has highly appreciated the skills and dutifulness of Bangladeshi peacekeepers. The Military Advisor has expressed deep grief and condemnation over the death of three Bangladeshi peacekeepers while on duty in the UN peacekeeping mission- in the Central African Republic. Commandant of NDC Lieutenant General Md. Akbar Hossain, who led the delegation, requested to take more peacekeepers from Bangladesh in the UN peacekeeping operations in the meeting at the UN Headquarters on Friday (October 7).

United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres has highly praised the role of Bangladeshi peacekeepers in the UN Missions and hoped that the country would continue to provide more troops to fulfill UN’s future needs in this regard.  Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen who met Guterres at the UN headquarters recently, requested the SG to appoint more Bangladeshi nationals at the high-level positions of the UN peace operations, and also in the position of SRSG (Special Representative of Secretary General) in various UN political missions across the world. The Foreign Minister briefed the SG about the current situation of the forcibly displaced Myanmar nationals and sought UN’s help to repatriate all Rohingyas to Myanmar.  Read:Withdrawal of sanctions: Momen seeks support of US lawmakers The Secretary General highly appreciated Bangladesh’s generosity for sheltering 1.1 millions Rohingyas and reiterated UN’s support for returning the forcibly displaced Rohingyas to their homeland in Myanmar. The SG also applauded Bangladesh’s extraordinary socio-economic development under the visionary leadership of the Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and hoped that Bangladesh would continue to achieve more successes in the coming years, particularity in attaining the SDGs, said the Bangladesh Mission at the UN. The Foreign Minister also requested the SG to appoint more Bangladeshi nationals at the high-level positions of the UN peace operations, and also in the position of SRSG (Special Representative of Secretary General) in various UN political Mission across the world. Dr Momen thanked Guterres for meeting him despite his busy schedule due to current Ukraine crisis. Earlier, the Foreign Minister held a meeting with Dr. Noeleen Heyzer, the newly appointed Special Envoy of the Secretary General on Myanmar, who is currently visiting New York. During the meeting, Foreign Minister requested Heyzer to engage with all stakeholders including the regional countries to find a durable solution to the Rohingya crisis, particularly by creating a conducive environment in Rakhine state so that the Rohingyas can return to their homes in safety, security and dignity.  He briefed the special envoy on the steps taken by the Bangladesh government to prevent spread of COVID in Rohingya camps, to provide Myanmar-curriculum-based education to Rohingya children in the camps, among others.  He also referred to the new accommodation facility in Bhashan char for 100,000 Rohingya and informed Heyzer that the Rohingya relocated there will have the opportunity to engage in livelihood activities.  Read:Dhaka, Riyadh "dynamic partnership" to reach new height under inspired leadership: Saudi envoy The Foreign Minister said, in the absence of any hope for return to their homeland, the Rohingyas increasingly have been getting involved in illicit and criminal activities.  He invited Heyzer to visit Cox's Bazar camps and Bhashan char at her earliest convenience. The Special Envoy expressed her deepest gratitude to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina for providing shelter to the Rohingya when they fled Myanmar in 2017 and commended her for her compassion and leadership.  She assured that the Rohingya issue will remain high on her agenda and she would remain deeply engaged with all relevant stakeholders - the regional countries and other international actors, Rohingya leaders and the authorities in Myanmar to find a sustainable solution to this crisis as soon as possible. Charge d' Affaires, of the Permanent Mission of Bangladesh to the UN Md. Monwar Hossain was present during the meetings. 

Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen has said Bangladeshi peacekeepers have enhanced the country's image internationally through dedicated and efficient services in the UN peacekeeping missions. He identified the participation of Bangladeshi peacekeepers as an opportunity to project the image of the country abroad. Read: Nature of peacekeeping has changed: FM The foreign minister visited Bangladesh peacekeeping contingents in South Sudan Thursday. He visited the Bangladesh Engineering Construction Unit and Bangladesh Marine Forces Unit deployed in the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) in Juba. During his interaction with the peacekeepers, Dr Momen mentioned the role of the government in enhancing the participation of Bangladeshi peacekeepers in the UN missions. The minister said the government also sent Formed police units (FPUs) to different UN missions who have earned a lot of reputation with their performance. "Bangladesh is now the top troop-contributing country to the UN peacekeeping operations owing to the efficiency, acumen and professionalism of our peacekeepers," he said. Read: FM greets UN chief Guterres on re-appointment Also, Dr Momen said the government has facilitated the deployment of female peacekeepers in the UN peacekeeping operations. A monument can be built in the Dhaka Cantonment to pay tribute to the sacrifices of Bangladeshi peacekeepers, he suggested. During the visit to the UNMISS, he received a gun salute from a contingent of Bangladeshi peacekeepers and signed the visitors' book. The Bangladesh contingent in the UNMISS comprises a good number of female peacekeepers along with male ones. Later, the foreign minister interacted with the acting special representatives of the UN secretary-general of the UNMISS, the forces commander of the UNMISS, the mission chief and the deputy forces commander of the UNMISS. During this time, the officials apprised the foreign minister about the activities of the UNMISS and highly praised the role of Bangladeshi peacekeepers in the UNMISS. Dr Momen is now visiting South Sudan to meet Bangladeshi peacekeepers deployed in different contingents in the UNMISS and also meeting with the high political leadership of South Sudan. The delegation of the foreign minister comprises non-resident Bangladesh ambassador to South Sudan, officials from the Armed Forces Division and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The UN will honour eight fallen peacekeepers from Bangladesh to mark the International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers on Thursday. UN Secretary-General António Guterres said their service and sacrifices will never be forgotten, according to a press release from the UN Information Centre (UNIC) in Dhaka. Guterres will preside over a ceremony at which the Dag Hammarskjöld Medal will be awarded posthumously to 129 military, police and civilian peacekeepers, including the eight from Bangladesh.  They lost their lives serving under the UN flag last year and in the first month of this year, the release said. Also read: Bangladesh calls for greater int’l efforts for safety, security of peacekeepers He will lay a wreath to honour more than 4,000 UN peacekeepers who have lost their lives since 1948. The fallen Bangladeshi peacekeepers are Abdul Md Halim who served with MINUSMA; LCpl Md Abdulla Al Mamun and Sgt Mohammad Ibrahim who served with United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA), Sgt Md Mobarak Hussain, LCl Md Saiful ISLAM, Md Saiful Imam Bhuiyan and Sgt Md Ziaur RAHMAN who were deployed with the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO); and Washerman Nurul AMIN of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS).  Bangladesh is the largest contributor of uniformed personnel to UN Peacekeeping.  Also read: UN lauds Bangladesh's peacekeepers It currently deploys more than 6,600 military and police personnel to the UN operations in Abyei, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Lebanon, Mali, South Sudan, and Western Sahara.  In a message to mark the Day, the Secretary-General said: “I express my deep gratitude to the 85,000 civilian, police and military personnel currently deployed in some of the world’s most challenging hotspots to protect the vulnerable and help to build peace. The theme for this year’s observance is “The road to a lasting peace: Leveraging the power of youth for peace and security.” Read Dhaka seeks strong global resolve to end Palestinian crisis permanently

The United Nations has appreciated the professionalism, discipline, dedication and bravery of the Bangladeshi peacekeepers deployed in different UN peacekeeping missions.

Two Bangladeshi peacekeepers, who have lost their lives in the line of duty, will be honoured at United Nations ceremony as the UN Headquarters will observe the International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers on Friday.

The United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) peacekeepers from Bangladesh have demonstrated their commitment amid COVID-19 providing basic sewing training to local women in Wau to enable them to produce cloth face masks.