Secretariat General for Peacekeeping Operations meeting with the Chief of the Armed Forces on peacekeeping operations

Dhaka, 25th June 2023: Under secretary-general for United Nations Peacekeeping Operations, Mr. Jean-Pierre Lacroix, had a confidential meeting today with Lieutenant General Ataul Hakim Sarwar Hasan, SBP, SGP, NDC, AFWC, PSC, Ph.D., the Chief of the Armed Forces Headquarters in Bangladesh. During the meeting, they exchanged views on mutual cooperation and discussed various issues related to the United Nations peacekeeping mission.

Lieutenant General Ataul Hakim Sarwar Hasan requested the Under-Secretary-General for United Nations Peacekeeping Operations to consider the appointment of more Bangladeshi peacekeepers for UN peacekeeping missions. Mr. Lacroix praised the contribution of the Bangladeshi peacekeepers currently deployed in the Mali mission and assured that he would give special consideration to the deployment of a larger number of peacekeepers from Bangladesh, particularly for long-term and high-priority UN peacekeeping missions. He also expressed gratitude to Bangladesh and the Bangladesh Armed Forces for their continued support in deploying the highest number of peacekeepers to UN missions.

In addition to the appointment of peacekeepers, the discussion also focused on future recruitment of Bangladeshi peacekeepers, especially female peacekeepers, for peacekeeping missions. The Chief of the Armed Forces expressed his gratitude to the Under-Secretary-General for the opportunity to meet and discuss United Nations peacekeeping operations.

It is worth mentioning that Lieutenant General Ataul Hakim Sarwar Hasan is currently in Bangladesh to attend the preparatory conference of the Women in Peacekeeping Ministerial-2023, scheduled to take place in Accra, the capital of Ghana, in December of this year. The conference, titled “Women in Peacekeeping,” is jointly organized by Bangladesh, Canada, and Uruguay. Bangladesh holds a prominent position in the peacekeeping mission, given the active role it has played in the dynamic developments of the past decades. Furthermore, Bangladesh has been the top contributor of peacekeepers to UN peacekeeping missions for the past several years. The number of peacekeepers deployed from Bangladesh continues to increase every year. Bangladesh has a strong presence in decision-making regarding peacekeeping missions as well.