Dhaka vows 15% female deployment in UN police units

Bangladesh has pledged several specialised military and police units to further strengthen the uniformed capabilities of UN peacekeeping operations.

Foreign Adviser Touhid Hossain announced these new pledges while delivering the country statement at the concluding day of UN Peacekeeping Ministerial in Berlin yesterday, according to a statement of the Bangladesh Permanent Mission in New York. 

Bangladesh's pledges also included deployment of 15% female peacekeepers in police units and implementation of an AI-Integrated Camp Surveillance and Response System and installation of 1.8 MW solar panels in existing missions.

Touhid is leading the Bangladesh delegation to the ministerial for May 13-14.

At a panel discussion, Touhid called for enhanced action on ensuring the protection of civilians and safety and security of the peacekeepers to prepare for the challenges of future peacekeeping.

He stressed on partnerships among all stakeholders, including the host government, troops and police contributing countries, peacekeepers on the ground, and UN Secretariat at the time of bringing any change in the requirements of existing mandates.

He also expressed concern at the resource constraints and called for urgent international attention to address the funding gap. 

Deputy leader of Bangladesh delegation Special Assistant to the Chief Adviser for Defence and National Solidarity Development Lieutenant General (Retd) Abdul Hafiz at a parallel session emphasised increased focus on safety and security of peacekeepers through the proper use of technology and structured training of peacekeepers.