Jean Pierre Lacroix, the Beneath Secretary Basic Division of Peace Operations (USG DPO) will be checking out Bangladesh for possessing pledge for additional UN Peacekeeping Forces from Bangladesh. His check out will take position from June twenty five-26, 2023 at Dhaka on the event of the preparatory assembly for the UN Peacekeeping Ministerial 2023. Bangladesh is a single of the co-hosts for this function aside from Canada and Uruguay.
The UN Peacekeeping Ministerial is the seminal superior-amount celebration for UN peacekeeping, held biennially with the participation of foreign and defense ministers. It is the hottest in a series of meetings held at the Head of Point out, Governing administration, or Ministerial level considering that 2014. Following the 2021 function hosted by South Korea, the 2023 Ministerial will be held in Accra, Ghana on Dec. 5-6. All member states represented in the Special Committee on Peacekeeping Operations will be invited to take part in this occasion, as well as a sequence of preparatory meetings to be held in the direct-up to the Ministerial. The go to is completely encouraging and favourable for Bangladesh.
Bangladesh at the UN Peacekeeping
Bangladesh is just one of the major Troops and Police Contributing Countries (TPCCs) to the UN Peacekeeping Functions. As of March 2023, seven,237 peacekeepers deployed in distinctive nations and destinations. The journey of participation in the UN peacekeeping operations commenced in 1988 and considering that then it sent in excess of 167,274 peacekeepers in sixty three Peace Keeping missions/assignments to serve in 40 nations/locations.
Around the past three a long time, Bangladesh’s partnership with the UN in peacekeeping has developed in depth and dimensions. Influenced by the Overseas Plan Doctrine of “Friendship to all and malice towards none” and constitutional obligation, Bangladesh has taken a price-pushed method to add to global peace and security. They have labored to secure civilians, rebuild infrastructure, and encourage human legal rights. Bangladeshi peacekeepers have also made the ultimate sacrifice, with 166 peacekeepers having died though serving in UN peacekeeping missions.
Bangladeshi peacekeepers have played a vital part in protecting peace and security in some of the world’s most troubled areas, which include the Democratic Republic of the Congo, South Sudan, and Haiti. Bangladeshi peacekeepers are recognized for their professionalism, devotion, and dedication to the ideas and values of the UN Charter. They have created major contributions to the protection of civilians, the delivery of humanitarian help, and the marketing of sustainable improvement.
Bangladeshi peacekeepers have served in a range of roles, together with army observers, infantry, engineers, and health-related personnel. They have performed a key purpose in monitoring stop-fires and rebuilding war-torn nations. Previous thirty day period, the United Nations awarded the ‘Dag Hammarskjöld Medal’ to five fallen Bangladeshi peacekeepers for their supreme sacrifice in UN Peacekeeping functions. The award was handed in excess of at the Normal Assembly Corridor by the UN Secretary-General António Guterres in a ceremony. The medal is the greatest honor that can be bestowed on a UN peacekeeper.
Bangladesh Armed forces have played major part in women empowerment and gender mainstreaming by employing ladies as peacekeepers in volatile safety situations of area missions. So much, a complete of 962 female peacekeepers from the Bangladesh Armed Forces participated in the UN peace operations. Now, 415 feminine users of the Bangladesh Armed Forces are deployed in distinctive peacekeeping missions. Bangladesh’s commitment to UN peacekeeping is a supply of countrywide pleasure and a testomony to the country’s drive to participate in a good position in the planet and lead to the bring about of peace and stability.
The contributions of Bangladeshi peacekeepers have designed a real change in the lives of thousands and thousands of persons all-around the entire world. They have aided to carry peace and security to conflict-ridden areas, secure civilians, and provide humanitarian support. Bangladesh is a happy and fully commited companion of the United Nations, and its peacekeepers keep on to engage in a very important position in maintaining international peace and protection.
What to be expecting from the visit?
Jean Pierre Lacroix is responsible for overseeing and coordinating UN peacekeeping operations around the world. The go to will deal with different peacekeeping-related challenges and fortify the partnership among Bangladesh and the United Nations peacekeeping operations. In accordance to Overseas Ministry sources, “It is an encouraging and constructive visit” for Bangladesh. “He can pledge to consider a lot more peacekeepers from Bangladesh.”
During these kinds of a go to, it is envisioned that the adhering to areas will be reviewed.
Very first, Jean Pierre Lacroix’s stop by will provide as an chance to admit and commend Bangladesh’s major contributions to UN Peacekeeping operations. The stop by could involve gatherings or ceremonies where the initiatives and sacrifices made by Bangladeshi peacekeepers are acknowledged.
Next, discussions involving Jean Pierre Lacroix and Bangladeshi officials might middle on examining ongoing peacekeeping missions and exploring approaches to greatly enhance collaboration. They could explore troubles faced by Bangladeshi peacekeepers, ways to enhance their basic safety and properly-currently being, and methods to improve their efficiency in reaching peace and security.
Third, supplied Bangladesh’s sizeable involvement in peacekeeping, Jean Pierre Lacroix’s pay a visit to may perhaps also concentrate on capability-creating and instruction initiatives. The discussions could revolve all around delivering assistance and means to fortify the coaching infrastructure of Bangladesh’s armed forces and law enforcement staff concerned in peacekeeping operations.
Ultimately, the stop by could also entail discovering prospective avenues for Bangladesh’s ongoing engagement in UN peacekeeping. This may well incorporate discussions on the risk of deploying peacekeepers to new or ongoing missions, sharing expertise in distinct spots, or contributing to peacebuilding attempts outside of troop deployments.
[Photo by Hassan7729, via Wikimedia Commons]
The views and thoughts expressed in this write-up are individuals of the creator.
Dr. Shafik A. Rahman is a postdoctoral fellow in Worldwide Relations of Southeast Asia at the Nationwide College of Singapore. He obtained his Ph.D. in Politics and Worldwide relations from Queen Mary University of London, U.K.
