Dhaka: Bangladesh today joined the international community to observe the International United Nations Peacekeepers Day, paying tributes to blue helmet forces for their role in upholding peace in troubled global regions.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, as part of the celebration, a reception in honour of wounded UN peacekeepers was staged at the Bangladesh-China Friendship Conference Centre in the capital.
President Mohammad Shahab Uddin, Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus, and various military and police leaders issued statements to mark the day. UN Secretary-General Ant³nio Guterres released a statement from New York, while UN Resident Coordinator in Dhaka, Gwyn Lewis, issued a message from Bangladesh, a leading contributor to the blue helmet missions.
Finance Adviser Dr. Salehuddin Ahmed attended as the chief guest at the event, where army chief General Waker-uz-Zaman spoke as the senior most Bangladeshi peacekeeper in UN missions. The event included a moment of silence for martyred peacekeepers worldwide and featured presentations on UN peacekeeping missions.
Special presentations on the UN missions followed a welcome address by Gwyn Lewis, while acting foreign secretary M Ruhul Alam Siddiqui also spoke. The adviser later communicated with Bangladeshi armed forces and police peacekeepers abroad via video teleconference.
The function was attended by interim government’s advisory council members, ambassadors, and high commissioners, as well as representatives from the navy, air force, senior government officials, and UN agencies in Bangladesh.
The day began with a ‘Peacekeeper Run/Rally-2025’ at 6.15 am from the Old Airport Mosque area at Tejgaon in Dhaka and other divisional cities. Home Adviser retired lieutenant general M Jahangir Alam Chowdhury inaugurated the rally, attended by the UN Resident Coordinator in Bangladesh and various peacekeeping representatives.
According to the ISPR statement, a special journal was published highlighting UN Peacekeeping efforts, while national dailies released supplements to mark the day. Public and private electronic media also organized special talks.