In his speech to the UN General Assembly in 1974, Bangabandhu reaffirmed his unwavering commitment to maintaining world peace. Bangladesh has validated Bangabandhu's statement of upholding world peace by sending its peacekeepers in discrete UN missions for three decades.
The role Bangladesh played in UN peacekeeping is one of honour and accomplishment. Nearly all the world's difficult regions can now be found where Bangladeshi peacekeepers have left their footprints.
The mission of United Nations peacekeepers, who come from many cultural backgrounds and speak various tongues, is to safeguard marginalized populations and help nations that are struggling to transition from war to peace.
Bangladesh's accomplishments in UN peacekeeping missions have put it on the map internationally. It is a tale of commitment, sacrifice, and glory for the country -- and such glory was truly hard-earned.
There have been many such sacrifices made by Bangladeshi forces in the UN Peacekeeping missions. In the last three decades in the service of global peace, 130 Bangladeshi peacekeepers have lost their lives and 200 were severely injured.
Recently, three Bangladeshi United Nations (UN) peacekeepers were killed and one was badly hurt on October 4 after an IED exploded outside of their vehicle in the Central African Republic.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed his profound grief at the loss of three troops from Bangladesh. Prior to it, three Bangladeshi UN peacekeepers were killed, and four others were injured in an improvised explosive device (IED) explosion in Mali in October 2017.
Ever since its first deployment, Bangladesh has maintained its contribution to world peace despite such sacrifices. Bangladesh has consistently been at the forefront of UN peacekeeping efforts.
In 56 UN peacekeeping missions, 1,81,661 Bangladeshi peacekeepers have so far taken part. When it comes to sending peacekeepers to the UN, Bangladesh holds the top spot.
Over the course of time, the political landscape of the world has been going through a paradigm shift which contributed to changing the dynamics of peacekeeping operations, adding new challenges like the emergence of non-state actors, violent extremism, disease, pandemic, etc.
UN peacekeeping is getting harder and harder to do as the world's expectations and the security environment change. Even under such circumstances, Bangladesh's peacekeepers have left no stone unturned to fulfill their duties with sheer commitment and professionalism.
In 1988, Bangladesh sent its first uniformed forces to assist in observing the armistice between Iran and Iraq. It was the first time Bangladeshi peacekeepers took part in the United Nations Peacekeeping Mission.
Additionally, there are 542 women peacekeepers actively serving in peacekeeping assignments. At present, Bangladesh has 16 missions deployed in various parts of the world. The reputation of Bangladeshi troops has grown over time.
Former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan described Bangladesh as “a model member of the United Nations, giving leadership among the least developed countries and contributing to peacekeeping and humanitarian operations.”
Bangladeshi troops are promoting peace in several violent conflict-ridden regions of the world. They are actively involved in resolving ethnic conflicts throughout the world, notably in Africa.
Bangladeshi peacekeepers are doing an outstanding job building infrastructure, facilities, and providing medical care in many conflict-ridden nations.
In the meantime, praise for Bangladeshi troops has come from both at home and abroad.
Since joining the UN in 1988, Bangladeshi peacekeepers have exhibited the greatest levels of professionalism, dedication, and bravery. Their distinctive contributions have improved the nation's standing abroad and allowed our peacekeepers to occupy honourable positions in peacekeeping operations.
Sierra Leone wants to make Bengali one of the official languages of their nation because they recognized the importance of Bangladeshi troops. The main thoroughfare in Liberia's capital is named after Bangladesh. Additionally, a few African nations have established schools using the name Bangladesh, such as the Sierra Leone-Bangladesh Friendship School.
Peacekeepers facing challenges
Since the beginning of the post-Cold War era, the nature of conflicts began to change. As a result, UNPKO's strategy also changed from “conventional” missions to intricate, multifaceted operations, ensuring the accomplishment of a wide range of challenging tasks.
The main challenges for the peacekeepers are hostile environments, violent confrontations, and even wholly different cultures. Furthermore, there are radical militias and groups that disregard any sort of peace accord and directly attack the peacekeepers to kill them.
Even under the most adverse circumstances, Bangladeshi peacekeepers have held firm. But that sacrifice comes with many admirations. We should be incredibly proud of our brave peacekeepers.
Saume Saptaparna Nath is a Research Associate at the KRF Center for Bangladesh and Global Affairs.
