The United Nations has been established with the great vow of maintaining world peace and security. The horrors of two successive world wars inspired human society to unite against war. It is from this inspiration that the United Nations emerges. The six main organs of the United Nations and many partner organizations are working for world peace, security and development. UN peacekeepers are working to bring peace to the war-torn country by ending hostilities. The Bangladesh Army is a proud partner of the United Nations.
*UN peacekeeping mission:
Maintaining world peace and security is the main task of the UN. The United Nations plays a neutral role in resolving and mediating disputes between one country and another. But such a system is not entirely effective in dealing with internal conflicts and ethnic riots in many countries. There is a need for military force on the question of security. It is from this need that the UN peacekeeping mission has been formed.
*Introduction to the Mission:
The United Nations has no force of its own. Its main strength is the military members sent by the member countries. The force is made up of military, civilian and paramilitary personnel from different countries under the auspices of the Security Council. The first peacekeeping force was formed in 1948 to focus on the Middle East crisis (Israel-Palestine). Since then, the United Nations has sent peacekeepers where needed. Peacekeepers are risking their lives to provide relief to the needy, to help people in natural disasters, and to rebuild war-torn countries. According to the information received, the UN has conducted 75 missions so far and 15 of them are ongoing. The UN peacekeeping force won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1986.
*Functions of Peacekeeping Missions:
The main tasks of UN peacekeeping missions are to defuse tensions in conflict zones, to monitor and enforce ceasefire agreements, to maintain stability and to conduct elections in a democratic manner, to conciliate between conflicting groups and to sign agreements. To help rebuild the infrastructure of war-torn countries, economic reconstruction, and provide humanitarian assistance to refugees and asylum seekers.
*Peacekeeping Mission and Bangladesh:
Bangladesh has always been an active participant in UN peacekeeping operations. Bangladesh first participated in the 1979 Iran-Iraq war at the call of the United Nations in peacekeeping missions. The role of Bangladesh Army in that war was commendable. After that for 25 long years (till 2013) various forces of Bangladesh such as army, navy, air force, police etc. have been performing this noble duty with merit. These Bangladeshi forces have attracted the attention of all by performing their duties with strong morale, improved discipline, hard work, dedication and sincerity. Bangladesh is currently working on 12 of the 15 peacekeeping missions. In all, different forces of Bangladesh have participated in 54 missions.
The contribution of the UN peacekeeping mission in maintaining world peace and security is truly commendable. We are proud of the role and success of different forces in Bangladesh in this endeavor. The role of the Bangladesh Army is again the main one. So far, more than a hundred Bangladeshi peacekeepers have died. Even then, the discipline, professionalism and efficiency of the Bengalis have been widely appreciated by the local people as well as in the international arena. This is considered a matter of great pride to the country and the nation.
