Visiting UN Under Secretary General of Department of Field Support (DFS) Atul Khare yesterday highly appreciated Bangladesh’s role in UN peacekeeping missions saying Bangladesh is now a ‘brand name’ in peacekeeping, reports UNB. Atul Khare came up with the remark when he met Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at her official residence Ganobhaban in the afternoon. PM’s Press Secretary Ihsanul Karim briefed reporters after the meeting. The UN Under Secretary General congratulated the Prime Minister on her achievement of the ‘Champions of the Earth’ award of the United Nations for her role in combating climate change. Atul also appreciated Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s able leadership for successful attainment of the MDGs by Bangladesh.
He also lauded the training programmes at the Bangladesh Institute of Peace Support Operation Training (BIPSOT) provided to peacekeepers saying that the UN would send two teams to Bangladesh—one for exploring business with UN and another to ensure the participation of the civilians, particularly women in peacekeeping missions. Atul was also effusive about Bangladesh police contingents in UN peacekeeping missions saying they are rich in culture and heart though not from any rich country. Reaffirming her firm commitment to global peace, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said the Bangladeshi peacekeepers are not only working as peacekeepers, but also contributing to infrastructure building to those countries. During the critical time, she said, the Bangladeshi peacekeepers are managing things very well. Hasina said the peacekeepers are provided with necessary training and equipment to deal with disaster situation and laid emphasis on cooperation among countries on disaster management. About the establishment of BIPSOT, the Prime Minister said Bangladesh remains committed to creating opportunities for training to new troop-contributing countries in specialised training institutes in Bangladesh, including BIPSOT.