Salahuddin urges UN to deploy more BD peacekeepers

Home Affairs Minister Salahuddin Ahmed has sought stronger United Nations (UN) support for the deployment of Bangladeshi peacekeepers and police personnel to UN peacekeeping missions.

He made the call during separate bilateral meetings with two UN under-secretaries-general in New York on Monday, according to the Permanent Mission of Bangladesh to the United Nations.

During his meeting with UN Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix, the minister reaffirmed Bangladesh's long-standing commitment to UN peacekeeping and requested support for the early verification of Rapid  Deployment Level (RDL) status for Bangladeshi Formed Police Units (FPUs).

The two sides discussed operational support for Bangladeshi military and police contingents serving in UN peacekeeping missions, expediting reimbursement processes, environmental sustainability, the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda, and Bangladesh's preparations to deploy specialised police contingents to Haiti.

Bangladesh also sought greater deployment of its individual police officers, consideration of a Bangladeshi FPU for current or future UN peacekeeping missions, and more leadership and professional positions for Bangladeshi officers at UN Headquarters and in field missions.

Lacroix praised Bangladesh's sustained contribution to UN peacekeeping and its readiness to provide well-trained and capable police personnel to meet evolving mission requirements. He also commended the country's active and constructive role in multilateral diplomacy.

In a separate meeting with UN Under-Secretary-General for Operational Support Atul Khare, the home minister discussed operational and logistical support for Bangladesh's planned specialised police deployments to Haiti.

The discussions covered contingent-owned equipment, shipment arrangements and reimbursement issues related to the deployment.
Khare commended Bangladesh's significant contributions to UN peacebuilding and peacekeeping operations and assured continued operational support for Bangladeshi peacekeepers, the release said.