UNB, Dhaka:

Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan has reiterated the commitment and readiness of Bangladesh to contribute to the work of the UN Police meaningfully.

He was speaking at the high-level session of the Fourth UN Chiefs Of Police Summit (UNCOPS) 2024 at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York on Thursday.

The home minister was the first speaker at the main session in the morning entitled “Novel Approaches to Peace Operations and Potential Domains of Conflict”.

He highlighted the need for the deployment of context-oriented and targeted specialised policing skills in peacekeeping missions considering the evolving context and changing scenario.

Khan also emphasised extending support to the host states’ rule of law and security institutions and capacities from the very beginning of the Peacekeeping Missions. He urged for prioritising the transition and exit strategies.

He also expressed Bangladesh’s readiness to contribute with more female peacekeepers to promote gender-responsive policing in the host state.

Referring to Bangladesh’s contribution to strengthening the UN’s efforts in countering misinformation and disinformation against peacekeepers, he underscores the importance of utilising artificial intelligence in the work of UN Peacekeeping as well as the need for responsible use of such technologies.

On the side-line of the UNCOPS 2024, the home minister held three different bilateral meetings with the Interior Minister of Gambia, Abdoulie Sanyang, the UN Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations, Jean Pierre-Lacroix, the UN Under-Secretary-General for Operational Support, Atul Khare.

In the meetings with the two under-secretary-generals, the home minister informed them of Bangladesh’s preparedness to cope with the changing realities on the ground and emerging new threats facing the peace operations.

They also discussed increasing Bangladesh’s participation in the UN Peacekeeping. Both of the Under-Secretary-Generals commended Bangladesh’s contribution to the UN Peacekeeping.

They also requested more support and discussed the potential areas to further Bangladesh-UN partnerships.

The Gambian interior minister thanked Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan for Bangladesh’s support to Gambia’s participation in UN Peacekeeping. They also discussed areas of further cooperation on the Rohingya issue and UN Peacekeeping.

The two-day long Fourth UN Chiefs of Police Summit (UNCOPS 2024) is taking place in the UN Headquarters in New York on 26-27 June 2024. The Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan, MP, is leading the Bangladesh delegation.

The Permanent Representative of Bangladesh to the United Nations, Muhammad A. Muhith, Additional Inspector General of Bangladesh Police, Kamrul Ahsan, and senior officials from the Ministry of Home Affairs and Bangladesh Police are attending the Summit as members of the Bangladesh delegation.