Staff Reporter:
Stressing that future peacekeeping missions must be more modern, visionary, and technology-driven, Prime Minister Tareque Rahman yesterday said his government is modernizing the armed forces and police to perform their duties in UN peacekeeping missions and other international assignments.
“The government is gradually implementing initiatives to modernize the armed forces and police to pre-pare them for performing responsibilities in United Nations (UN) peacekeeping missions and other in-ternational assignments,” he said.
The Prime Minister made the remarks at a program at Senakunja in Dhaka Cantonment yesterday morn-ing, marking the International Day of UN Peacekeepers.
At the event, he recalled with deep respect the brave peacekeepers around the world who have sacrificed their lives while fulfilling the great responsibility of establishing global peace.
Tareque Rahman said since 1988, 175 Bangladeshi peacekeepers have been martyred while performing their duties as members of the UN peacekeeping missions, while many others have been injured.
He prayed for forgiveness of the departed souls and said the sacrifice of the martyrs as members of the UN peacekeeping missions would remain as a shining example not only for Bangladesh but also for anti-war and peace-loving people around the world.
“Their sacrifice demonstrates that they are committed not only to defending the independence and sover-eignty of their motherland, but also as members of peacekeeping missions under the flag of the UN as they are committed to protecting peace anywhere in the world at any cost,” the Prime Minister said.
However, the premier noted that the journey had not been easy, saying, “The achievements and recogni-tion earned by our peacekeepers on the global stage did not come easily. They had to perform this noble and humanitarian duty amid adversity, limitations, and difficult challenges.”
Addressing the peacekeepers, Tarique Rahman appreciated them for their dedication, courage, and pro-fessionalism while serving far from their families in challenging environments.
At the onset of the event, a documentary highlighting the contributions of Bangladesh’s armed forces to UN peacekeeping missions was screened. The Prime Minister also presented commemorative crests to the families of martyred peacekeepers and injured personnel.
The Prime Minister said that more than 200,000 members of Bangladesh’s armed forces and police have so far successfully served in approximately 63 peacekeeping missions across 43 countries.
Currently, around 5,860 Bangladeshi peacekeepers are serving with integrity and professionalism in 10 peacekeeping missions around the world, he said, adding, preparations are also underway for participa-tion in a new mission in Haiti.
The premier said that about 11 percent of Bangladesh’s peacekeepers are women, who are serving coura-geously alongside their male counterparts in war-torn areas.
“But this history of our glory in maintaining world peace was not written in a day. For almost four dec-ades, the Bangladesh Armed Forces have been a name of trust and reliability in the international arena,” he added.
Describing the armed forces as a symbol of a nation’s independence, dignity, and courage, the Prime Minister said the army played a historic role in the Liberation War of Bangladesh.
“A major of the army declared the independence of Bangladesh. This glory and pride is a source of eter-nal inspiration for our armed forces. Therefore, it is the duty of the armed forces to protect this glory so that it does not fade in any way,” he added.
Tareque Rahman said various attempts had been made at different times to create confusion regarding the armed forces and damage their image both at home and abroad.
However, he said, on November 7, 1975, the army stood united under the leadership of Ziaur Rahman.
The Prime Minister said, “Even then, there were efforts to destroy the unity of the armed forces in vari-ous incidents at different times. The all-out attack on the armed forces came in February 2009. We all know what happened in Bangladesh as a result of that attack. Therefore, the main message for the uni-formed forces is, ‘It is difficult to survive with honor and dignity without professionalism, unity, disci-pline and chain of command’.”
Stressing on learning from the past, he said in fascism-free Bangladesh, every state-owned institution and constitutional body have got an opportunity to establish themselves with renewed strength.
“Those who are serving in the armed forces or in the government or public administration, we are all citizens of Bangladesh. Let our pledge yesterday be to properly fulfill the responsibility we are perform-ing at home or abroad,” the premier added.
Highlighting evolving global challenges, Tareque Rahman said changing geopolitical realities and rapid technological advancement have made peacekeeping operations increasingly complex and risky.
“In addition to conventional warfare, cyber warfare, misuse of artificial intelligence, media disinfor-mation, and security threats arising from climate change have emerged as new obstacles to global peace,” he said.
“Therefore, our future peacekeeping missions must be more modern, visionary, and technology-driven. In this circumstance, the government is gradually implementing initiatives to modernize the armed and police forces to prepare them for performing duties in UN peacekeeping missions and other international stages,” the premier said.
He said that Bangladesh believes in the principles of independence, sovereignty, and mutual respect among nations.
The Prime Minister said Bangladesh remains firmly committed to the constitutional principles of world peace, international coexistence, and justice.
Bangladesh fully respects multilateral diplomacy and the UN Charter to build a safe and peaceful world against any aggression and conflict, he added.
State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shama Obaed Islam, Prime Minister’s Defence Adviser Brigadier General (Retd.) Dr AKM Shamsul Islam and Chief of Army Staff General Waker-Uz-Zaman spoke at the event.
Cabinet members, chiefs of the Navy and Air Force, officers and personnel of the armed forces, and diplomats from various countries attended the event.
The International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers is observed globally on May 29 each year, but Bangladesh officially celebrated the occasion yesterday, June 10, as per the state decision due to the holy Eid-ul-Azha holidays.
