Before visiting Delhi, Nepal and Pakistan, the UN Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations Jean Pierre Lacroix will arrive in Dhaka on a three-day visit today (Sunday).  Jean Pierre Lacroix will lead a five-member high-powered UN delegation to thank the troop-contributing country for their service and update them on the ongoing reforms in the peace and security area.  During their visit, the UN delegation will call on the Prime Minister, foreign minister, chiefs of three services and the inspector general of police, according to the press release issued by the Inter Service Public Relation (ISPR) yesterday.  At present, a total of 6,089 UN peace keepers from the Bangladesh Army, Navy and Air Force are deployed in 13 ongoing UN peacekeeping operations (UNPKOs) in 10 coutries.

Of them, more than 4900 personnel from Bangladesh Army are now deployed in various contingents or as Staff Officers/Military Observers in 13 peacekeeping missions. Bangladesh Navy has its ships and water crafts deployed in UNIFIL (Lebanon) and UNMISS (South Sudan). The Air Force has its helicopters and fixed wing aircraft in MONUSCO (DR Congo) and MINUSTAH (Haiti). A total of 156 peacekeepers in different countries including 10 Bangladeshi peacekeepers have been killed in Mali from 2013 to till date.

 The Bangladesh Army started its journey in the UN peacekeeping mission in 1988 with 15 observers in UNIMOG (Iraq-Iran). Since then, it is maintaining its dominance as a leading troop contributor in UN peacekeeping. Bangladesh Armed Forces have so far participated in 54 peacekeeping missions in 40 countries. A total of 1,28,545 members from the Bangladesh Armed Forces have participated in peacekeeping. Bangladeshi peacekeepers have always been highly praised in UN missions for their sense of duty.