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The International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers is set to be observed with due solemnity in Bangladesh on Wednesday (June 10). Although the day is typically observed on May 29 each year, it is being commemorated today in the country due to the Eid holidays.
On the occasion of the day, family members of Bangladeshi peacekeepers who sacrificed their lives while serving in UN peacekeeping missions will be honored today at Senakunja in Dhaka Cantonment. Prime Minister Tareque Rahman will be present as the chief guest at the event, scheduled for 9:30 AM.
On Tuesday (June 9), in his message for the day, the Prime Minister stated that the UN peacekeeping operation is a unique initiative in ensuring global peace, stability, and human security. Extending heartfelt greetings and profound respect to all peacekeepers worldwide, he added that peacekeepers are working with immense courage, patience, and dedication to restore peace in regions affected by conflict, violence, and humanitarian crises.
The Prime Minister remembered with deep reverence the brave peacekeepers who sacrificed their lives while fulfilling the noble duty of establishing world peace. He also stated that their sacrifice would remain immortal in the nation’s history and expressed profound sympathy for the injured and affected peacekeepers and their family members.
It is noteworthy that Bangladesh has maintained a prestigious position among the countries contributing the highest number of peacekeepers for a long time. According to UN data, Bangladesh held the top spot in this regard from July 2020 to October 2023.
Prior to this, it had been in either the first or second position. Bangladeshi peacekeepers are part of many glorious chapters of UN peacekeeping missions.
According to relevant sources, the Bangladesh Army began participating in UN peacekeeping missions in 1988, serving as military observers in Iraq-Iran. Over the past 38 years, Bangladesh has become a proud partner in implementing UN peacekeeping operations.
It is known that the Bangladesh Navy and Air Force have been serving in this mission since 1993.
Bangladeshi police members have been participating in this mission since 1989. In that year, the Bangladesh Police became a member of the UN family through the Namibia mission. Since then, a total of 21,828 members of the Bangladesh Police, including 1,928 female members, have served in 27 peacekeeping missions across 25 countries.
ISPR reports that Bangladeshi peacekeepers have successfully completed 63 UN missions in 43 countries and locations worldwide. A total of 206,476 peacekeepers served in these missions, including 3,645 female peacekeepers. 162,035 personnel served from the Army. Currently, 4,412 Bangladeshi peacekeepers are deployed in 9 UN peacekeeping missions.
Since the inception of UN peacekeeping missions, 175 Bangladeshi peacekeepers have sacrificed their lives. Among them are 138 from the Army, four from the Navy, nine from the Air Force, and 24 from the Police. A total of 287 have been injured.