Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said Bangladesh is a responsible and reliable name in the global efforts to maintain peace and security, noting that Bangladesh has been working with great reputation as the highest sentencing country and an active participant in UN peacekeeping operations for 35 years.
She said, "We are recognized by everyone and are role models in the world." Behind this achievement is the contribution and sacrifice of the smart, hardworking and dedicated members of our armed forces and police forces.
On this auspicious occasion of celebrating 35 years of Bangladesh's participation in UN peacekeeping operations, Sheikh Hasina congratulated all the peacekeepers, including the Bangladeshi peacekeepers working in the UN mission.
The Prime Minister said these at the 'International UN Peacekeeper Day-2023' celebration at the Bangabandhu International Conference Center in the capital on Monday.
"Following the foreign policy of the Father of the Nation to establish world peace and the constitutional obligation, Bangladesh became a member of the 'Blue Helmet' family of the United Nations," she said. Later Bangladesh Police in 1989 and Bangladesh Navy and Air Force in 1993 were engaged in enforcement. For the last 35 years, Bangladesh has been working with great reputation as the highest sentencing country and an active participant in UN peacekeeping operations.
Sheikh Hasina said that following the ideals of the Father of the Nation and working to establish world peace, Sheikh Hasina said, "Apart from the peacekeeping mission, we are actively participating and contributing in other international forums. We raised the 'Culture of Peace' resolution at the United Nations in 1997, which was unanimously adopted in 1999. Since then, Bangladesh's flagship resolution Cultural of Peace has been unanimously accepted at the United Nations every year. Later, the United Nations declared 2000 as the 'International Year of Culture of Peace' and 2001-2010 as the 'Cultural of Peace and Decade of Non-Violence'.
She said, 'I believe that establishing a culture of peace is essential to perpetuate the message of peace and implement Agenda 203. Our actions to ensure women's rights and gender equality are making significant contributions to the 'Women, Peace and Security Agenda'.
"Ensuring peace in the world has become much more difficult than in the past," Sheikh Hasina said, "with the recent development and advancement of technology, new threats from evil forces are increasing. As a result, peacekeepers in UN peacekeeping missions have to deal with complex multidimensional situations. Hence the need to enrich peacekeeping missions with advanced technology has now increased manifold.
She said, 'We have always prepared the Bangladeshi peacekeepers with timely training so that they can deal with the complex situations created in the most challenging and dangerous regions of the world. We have ensured supply of clothing and other necessary items along with advanced technology military equipment compatible with the environment, weather and terrain of the mission area. We have added modern mine-resistant ambush protected vehicles to the Bangladesh contingents and state-of-the-art technology for communication of peacekeepers.'
The Prime Minister also said, "I think the theme of the 2023 International UN Peacekeepers Day - 'Peace Begins With Me' is very timely." With this motto, we will work for the establishment of world peace in the way shown by the Father of the Nation and give a safe and peaceful world to the future generations - this is our pledge today.'
All the efforts of our government will continue so that the peacekeepers of Bangladesh can respond to the call of the United Nations with more confidence. I hope that the Bangladeshi peacekeepers will keep the country's honor and image bright by working with their skills, professionalism, courage and devotion.
She thanked the Bangladesh Army, Navy, Air Force, Bangladesh Police, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and all those involved in this event.
The head of government said, "At present, 7036 peacekeepers of Bangladesh are engaged in UN peacekeeping missions and activities. This number is about 9.8% of the total number of peacekeepers deployed in the world. Among them are 572 Bangladeshi women peacekeepers. We continue our efforts to increase the number of women peacekeepers.