Chief adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus on Sunday urged the United Nations to hire more woman peacekeepers from Bangladesh as he reaffirmed Bangladesh鈥檚 unwavering commitment to international peace keeping and security efforts.
The chief adviser made the request when UN under-secretary-general for peace operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix met him at the state guest house Jamuna in Dhaka.
鈥極ne thing that I encourage is the participation of more Bangladeshi women in peacekeeping missions,鈥� Yunus said during the meeting when issues with regard to UN peacekeeping were discussed elaborately.
Bangladesh consistently ranks among the top three troop/police-contributing countries, with 5,677 peacekeepers across 10 of the 11 active missions.
The under-secretary-general highlighted the UN policy of engaging more women in peacekeeping.
鈥榃e don鈥檛 want to confine women to specific roles,鈥� he said, adding that the UN would support recruiting women in all aspects of peacekeeping.
Professor Yunus expressed Bangladesh鈥檚 readiness to deploy additional troops and police when required, underscoring Bangladesh鈥檚 pledge of five units at the rapid deployment level in the Peacekeeping Capability Readiness System.
He also advocated for increased Bangladeshi representation in UN peacekeeping leadership at both headquarters and field levels.
The UN official said that they would also support Bangladesh in that regard.
The chief adviser affirmed that Bangladesh strictly complied with the UN vetting for peacekeepers and welcomed further collaboration with the UN and other bodies on training and accountability to strengthen human rights compliance.
He also expressed concern over ongoing conflict in Myanmar and cross-border firing incidents, civilian casualties, and livelihood disruptions near the Naf River, which acts as a border between Bangladesh and Myanmar.
He warned that continued instability could escalate, creating instability and security risks.
He urged concerted international engagement to resolve the Rohingya crisis.
The chief adviser recalled the recent visit of UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres to Rohingya camps in Southeast Bangladesh, saying that his visit gave Rohingyas renewed hope for a safe and dignified repatriation to Myanmar.
A Bangladeshi delegation, led by the foreign adviser, will join the UN peacekeeping ministerial conference to be held in Berlin, Germany, from May 13 to 14, 2025.
