UN Peacekeeping Missions
Boost support for Bangladesh’s capacity enhancement
International community urged from DU conference
Lauding Bangladesh’s contributions to United Nations peacekeeping missions, speakers at the inauguration of a two-day international conference yesterday called upon the international community to increase support for enhancing Bangladesh’s capacity to serve in these missions.
Bangladesh’s national and foreign policy values and ethos are to promote its image as a strong proponent of democracy, human rights, justice and socio-economic empowerment of the world’s people, they said.
The nature and outlook of these missions, to maintain international peace and security, have incorporated new trends such as deployment of troops from the region where the conflict-torn country lies, they added.
The speakers stressed conceptual clarity, political support and financial resources to keep the missions ongoing.
Dhaka University’s Department of International Relations, with the assistance from American Centre, organised the conference, “United Nations Peacekeeping and South Asia: Trends and prospects” at the senate bhaban.
Adam C Smith of Internal Peace Institute in New York presented a keynote at the conference, presided over by the department’s Chairperson Prof Ashequa Irshad.
Experts, teachers, former diplomats and defence and police personnel from Bangladesh, including DMP Commissioner Benazir Ahmed and Brig Gen Abu Sayeed Khan of the Armed Forces Division, the US, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Nepal participated in the conference.
Surprisingly there was no participation of UN officials in Bangladesh while presence of the department’s teachers and students was very insignificant.
DU VC Prof AAMS Arefin Siddique said Bangladesh was a peace-loving country living up to the Liberation War’s spirit with a firsthand experience on the toll war takes on humans.
It is only natural for Bangladesh to become a partner in various UN efforts to avoid human tragedy, ease tension, offer humanitarian support and secure peace at a global platform, he said.
US Ambassador Dan Mozena said the world community was deeply grateful to Bangladesh for its contribution to world peace.
With decreasing UN peacekeeping budgets, Bangladesh is opting for optimised expenditure, said Foreign Secretary Shahidul Haque, adding that Bangladesh was instrumental to UN peace-building moves.
Bangladesh is the top troop-contributing country for the UN, providing almost 10 percent of the total force made out of 116 countries.
-With The Daily Star input
