Keen on taking more Bangladeshi peacekeepers: UN officials tell Army Chief
Bangladesh Army Chief, General SM Shafiuddin Ahmed, held bilateral meetings with several senior officials of the UN Headquarters on various issues of mutual interest, including peacekeeping operations.
During his visit to the United Nations Headquarters in New York on April 25 and 26, the army chief met with Gilles Michaud, under-secretary-general of the United Nations Department of Security and Safety; Major General Maureen O'Brien, acting military adviser; Mohammed Khaled Khiari, assistant secretary-general (ASG), Department of Political and Peace Building Affairs; Christian Saunders, ASG, Department of Operational Support; and Police Adviser Luis Ribeiro Carrilho.
The discussions were very fruitful and highlighted various aspects of the significant contribution of Bangladeshi peacekeepers in the UN operations, according to a press release from the Permanent Mission of Bangladesh to the UN.
During the meetings, the army chief highlighted Bangladesh's constitutional commitment to world peace and raised issues of Bangladesh's interest in the UN peacekeeping operations, such as recruitment of more Bangladeshi peacekeepers including women, appointment of high-level military officials in various peacekeeping operations, participation in peacekeeping missions co-pledging with other countries, deployment of armed personnel carriers from Bangladesh and recruitment of Bangladeshi peacekeepers to the political missions.
Acting Military Adviser Major General Maureen highly praised the Bangladeshi peacekeepers' professionalism, ethics, and discipline and said that Bangladesh is at the forefront of UN peacekeeping operations for all these reasons.
The Acting Military Adviser expressed interest in recruiting more peacekeepers from Bangladesh in the future.
ASG Khaled Khiari praised the government and the people of Bangladesh for its graduation from the LDC category and for providing humanitarian shelter to the forcibly displaced Rohingyas.
During the talks, the acting military adviser and the ASG of the Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs requested the army chief to deploy an aviation contingent to the UN peacekeeping mission as soon as possible.
The army chief agreed in principle to the request.
He proposed to replace the long-used weapons and equipment in the Bangladeshi contingents of the peacekeeping mission with new weapons and equipment sourced from Bangladesh, to which the concerned officials readily agreed.
The long-awaited issue was resolved which would eventually play a significant role in enhancing Bangladeshi peacekeepers' capability, security, and morale.
ASG Christian Sounders also praised the professionalism and logistical capabilities of Bangladeshi peacekeepers and also expressed interest in recruiting more Bangladeshi peacekeepers for different missions.
Police Adviser Luis Riberio Carrilho praised the Bangladeshi police personnel engaged in peacekeeping operations and expressed interest in recruiting more Bangladeshi police personnel.
The Chief of Army Staff visited the bench set up in the name of Bangabandhu at the UN Headquarters premises on the occasion of the birth centenary of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.