Permanent Representative (PR) of Bangladesh to the UN Ambassador Rabab Fatima said has said they must be fit for purpose and flexible enough to adjust with the evolving situations and local realities for protection of civilians trainings to be effective on the ground.

She was delivering concluding remarks at a virtual side event on “Training for the protection of civilians: Assessing the challenges and best practices of contributions to UN peacekeeping training” jointly organized by the Permanent Missions of Bangladesh, Netherlands, Rwanda, and Uruguay in collaboration with PAX, an internationally acclaimed Dutch think-tank on Monday.

In reiterating Bangladesh’s commitment to make protection of civilians an integral part of the pre-deployment training of the peacekeepers, she highlighted the growing partnership of the Bangladesh Institute of Peace Support Operation Training (BIPSOT) with the UN and other Troops/Police Contributing Countries (T/PCCs) through customized training, joint exercises, and technical support. 

Defining Protection of Civilians as a shared responsibility in conflict affected countries and fragile contexts, she put emphasis on the importance of further strengthening partnership among the Security Council, Troops and Police Contributing Countries, and the Secretariat for narrowing down capacity and resource gaps.

In specific context of the evolving challenges due to the current COVID-19 crisis, she stressed the importance of factoring in additional capacities, training facilities, and adequate equipment, as well as ensuring necessary medical facilities and the safety requirements of peacekeepers. 

More than one hundred representatives from different member states, UN Secretariat, and think-tanks participated in the event, said a media release on Tuesday.

Among others, Karel J.G. van Oosterom, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of the Netherlands to the United Nations and Carlos Amorín, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Uruguay to the United Nations spoke at the event.