AMN/ WEB DESK
The United Nations honoured 8 fallen peacekeepers from Bangladesh posthumously with the ‘Dag Hammarskjold Medal’. Bangladesh Permanent Representative to UN Ambassador Rabab Fatima received the award on behalf of Bangladesh at a virtual ceremony on the occasion of the International Day of UN Peacekeepers held at the UN headquarters on Thursday.
124 fallen peacekeepers from 44 nations received the award for laying down their lives during peacekeeping operations in 2020.
Out of the 8 Bangladeshi peacekeepers who lost their lives, 4 were killed in Congo, 2 in Central African Republic and one each in South Sudan and Mali.
The UN Secretary General also laid a wreath at the peacekeepers memorial site at the UN headquarters in New York. Commending the contribution of peacekeepers, UN Secretary General António Guterres said that they work hard to protect some of the world’s most vulnerable while facing the dual threats of violence and a global pandemic.
Bangladesh is currently the top contributor of uniformed personnel to UN Peacekeeping operations. Around 7000 peacekeepers are deployed in 9 peacekeeping missions currently. So far, 159 peacekeepers from Bangladesh have lost their lives while serving in the UN peacekeeping operations. More than 4000 peacekeepers have lost their lives since 1948 serving in peacekeeping operations across the world.