Desk Report:
Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed met with Under-Secretary General (USG) of the United Nations Department of Operational Support (DOS) Atul Khare in a bilateral meeting at the UN Headquarters in New York, USA, on Monday (July 06, 2026) at 11:00 am local time.
This important meeting was held in a very cordial atmosphere in Room S-2729 of the UN Headquarters.
The meeting discussed in detail various issues of bilateral interest including operational cooperation of Bangladeshi military and police contingents deployed in UN peacekeeping missions, expediting financial reimbursement/reimbursement, environmentally sustainable development, the ‘Women, Peace and Security’ (WPS) agenda and preparations for the deployment of Bangladesh’s specialized police contingent in Haiti.
After exchanging greetings at the beginning of the meeting, the Minister expressed his sincere gratitude to the Under Secretary General for the continuous and effective support of the Department of Operational Support (DOS) in facilitating matters related to reimbursement of Bangladeshi military and police forces deployed in peacekeeping missions. At the same time, he also thanked the Environment Section of DOS for its special contribution to environmental protection through the installation of solar panels in UN peacekeeping missions.
The Minister said that as one of the countries at risk from climate change, Bangladesh is deeply committed to reducing the carbon footprint of peacekeeping missions. He said that Bangladesh is the first country in the world to install solar panels in a UN peacekeeping mission. Using Bangladesh’s specialized experience and capabilities in this sector, Bangladesh is interested in working with the UN to install renewable energy and solar panels more widely in mission areas in the future.
The Minister also said that Bangladesh is determined to implement the ‘Women, Peace and Security’ (WPS) agenda. He called on the UN to increase investment in building more environmentally friendly and women-friendly infrastructure to ensure a safe, suitable and conducive working environment for women peacekeepers in mission areas. He also emphasized on increasing the capacity of peacekeepers and improving their training so that they can perform their duties more efficiently in adverse or hostile situations.
Salahuddin Ahmed said that Bangladesh Police has completed preparations to deploy 3 highly modern and high-powered Specialized Formed Police Units (FPUs) to meet the challenges of the current unstable and complex security situation in Haiti. The Minister said that compared to the conventional FPUs, these units are particularly adept in SWAT, Rapid Response Platoon, Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD), Forensic and Crime Scene Management, Organized Crime and Cybercrime Investigation, Riverine Operations and Counter-Narcotics Operations.
The Home Minister submitted some specific proposals to the relevant departments of the United Nations to make the best use of this specialized capability in Haiti. He said that a 3-member high-level delegation of Bangladesh Police will participate in the MOU discussion at the UN Headquarters from 15-17 July 2026 for detailed discussions on this issue. The Minister expected full cooperation from the relevant UN agencies to make this discussion successful and to incorporate the proposed equipment. He further mentioned that in addition to the full FPU deployment, Bangladesh is also ready to jointly deploy a specialized police team or platoon of Bangladesh with the self-reliant units of other Police Contributing Countries (PCC).
At the end of the discussion, Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed reiterated Bangladesh’s steadfast and strong commitment under the blue flag of the United Nations to establish world peace and expressed hope that with the combination of Bangladesh’s professionalism and the logistical support of the United Nations, world peacekeeping will take another step forward.
UN Under-Secretary-General Atul Khare highly praised the professionalism, courage and discipline of Bangladeshi peacekeepers in the peacekeeping mission. He praised Bangladesh’s pioneering role in environmental protection and assured to consider with great importance the proposals raised by the Home Minister, including the deployment of a specialized police unit in Haiti, and expressed his determination to further strengthen the UN partnership with Bangladesh.
