Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Sunday rightly called upon the Bangladeshi peacekeepers deployed in UN peacekeeping missions to promote Bangladesh as a powerful peace loving country. Bangladesh is one of top peacekeeper sending countries to the UN missions. The peacekeepers are not only ambassadors of peace but also brand ambassadors of Bangladesh, because our troops in the UN mission have set a unique example of being competent as well as very good at conduct and maintaining discipline.  

Bangladesh’s role in the UN Peacekeeping mission is applauded by the international community as we have earned a good name in whatever countries our troops have been deployed. Currently 75,516 peacekeepers from 121 countries are deployed in the UN peacekeeping missions. Of them, 6,825 peacekeepers including 519 women are from Bangladesh, which is 9.2 percent of the total peacekeepers deployed in the peacekeeping missions.

 Bangladeshi peacekeepers not only brought peace in many war-torn parts of the globe, but also won hearts and minds of millions of people of the host nations by maintaining a cordial relation with them and respecting their culture and tradition.

Take the example of Sierra Leone. The people of this West African country, despite being geographically located thousands of miles away from Bangladesh, recognised Bangla language as their second state language thanks to the contribution of Bangladeshi troops.

Bangladeshi uniformed personnel have been helping maintain peace and conducting humanitarian activities in various UN missions. Besides, through their professionalism, they have set an example of upholding values and norms wherever they went. While shouldering their responsibilities, they are also branding Bangladesh through their deeds. It is about time we properly appreciated their efforts and highlighted their achievements.