Staff Reporter, Dhaka: Minister of Home Affairs Salahuddin Ahmed has called for stronger United Nations support for the deployment of Bangladeshi peacekeepers and police personnel to UN peacekeeping missions during separate bilateral meetings with two Under-Secretaries-General of the United Nations in New York.

In a meeting with Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix, the Minister reaffirmed Bangladesh’s long-standing commitment to UN peacekeeping and requested support for the early verification of Rapid Deployment Level (RDL) status for Bangladeshi Formed Police Units (FPUs), greater deployment of Bangladeshi individual police officers and consideration of a Bangladesh FPU in current or future peacekeeping missions. He also sought more leadership and professional positions for Bangladeshi officers at UN Headquarters and in field missions.

USG Lacroix appreciated Bangladesh’s sustained contribution to UN peacekeeping and its readiness to provide trained and capable police personnel for evolving mission requirements. He also commended Bangladesh’s active and constructive role in multilateral diplomacy.

In a separate meeting with Under-Secretary-General for Operational Support Atul Khare, the Minister discussed operational and logistical support for Bangladesh’s planned specialized police deployments to Haiti, including contingent-owned equipment, shipment and reimbursement issues.

Appreciating Bangladesh’s significant contributions to UN peacebuilding and peacekeeping operations, USG Atul Khare assured the Minister of continued operational support for Bangladeshi peacekeepers.