Bangladesh in the United Nations Peace Operations: Maintaining Sustained Engagement within the Space of Contestation

Abstract

Since 1988 Bangladesh has been one of the highest troop and police-contributing countries (T&PCC) to United Nations Peace operations (UNPO). Over the years, Bangladesh’s armed forces and police had not only carved out space for them as a top T&PCC but also earned a name for itself as a dependable force that delivered the tasks assigned to it. Despite this being a learning experience for the country’s security institutions, Bangladesh has experienced various challenges in missions due to different factors. For example, there are significant transformations in the nature of conflict and mandates of peacekeeping operations, requiring T&PCCs to be prepared for future participation in such missions. Against this backdrop, this paper examines the trends of Bangladeshi peacekeepers to understand their involvement in peace missions and their capacity to address the challenges of contemporary tasks. It also investigates capacity-building issues, skill enhancement, and increasing competency of Bangladeshi peacekeepers. This paper argues Bangladesh needs to comprehend the changing scenario and enhance the capacity of troops and police peacekeepers by undertaking appropriate measures, including tapping into the experience of its returning peacekeepers. Otherwise, the sustainability of Bangladesh’s participation in UN peace support deployments may face severe stress and become problematic.