UN praises role of BD peacekeepers

The United Nations has highly appreciated Bangladeshi peacekeepers saying the contributions of these brave men and women in the countries in which they serve have been immense over the past three decades, reports UNB.
United Nations peacekeepers come from diverse cultures and speak different languages, but share a common purpose: the protection of vulnerable communities and the provision of support to countries struggling to move from conflict to peace.
Bangladesh is one of the largest contributors to UN peacekeeping operations, said the UN.
It said Bangladesh first deployed uniformed personnel to serve with the organisation in 1988 when they were deployed to help monitor the armistice between Iran and Iraq.
As of December 2017, there were 7,246 Bangladeshi troops and police personnel in 10 missions around the world, according to the UN News Centre.
Bangladeshi peacekeepers work in various roles -- some provide protection, others heal and design roads -- but all serve under the blue flag to support the governments and people of the countries in which they serve.
In Haiti, an all-female Bangladeshi Formed Police Unit served with the UN mission, known as MINUSTAH, from 2015 until October 2017, when the mission completed its work.
UN peacekeepers from Bangladesh work in some of the world's hotspots, including the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), and the Darfur region of Sudan.
In DRC, Bangladeshi troops regularly patrol villages to ensure security.
At least 132 Bangladeshi peacekeepers have made the ultimate sacrifice in the service of peace.
Bangladesh is currently the second-largest troop-contributing country to UN peacekeeping.
In 2017, Bangladesh sent two female combat pilots to the UN mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) - Flight Lieutenant Nayma Haque and Flight Lieutenant Tamanna-E-Lutfi.