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Claims of sexual abuse
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with 6,582 peacekeepers, including more than 400 women, deployed in nine peacekeeping missions in eight countries, according to data of the Armed Forces Division.
Lacroix said they encourage member states to renew their commitment to the uniform gender parity targets.
He said the nature of conflict and the geopolitical context have evolved to such a state that peace operations are confronted with far more complex political and operational environmentstoday. The tactics and weapons utilised by conflict parties require UN peace operations to have far more specialised capabilities.
“But capabilities go beyond the equipment we have. The mindset and composition of our workforce must also be strengthened to meet the new challenges we face. And this includes ensuring we deploy a diverse and gender-balanced workforce that reflects the diversity of the communities we serve,” the UN official said.
The principal staff officer of the Armed Forces Division, Lt Gen Waker-Uz-Zaman, said the women troops in Bangladesh are being trained in a way so that they can reach the leadership level.
He said there are rare occurrences of sexual violence in Bangladesh military, and prompt actions are taken if any such incident happens.
Waker-Uz-Zaman said the ministerial meeting in Ghana should discuss ways of addressing security threats against the UN peacekeepers.
Muhammad A Muhith, Bangladesh’s permanent representative to the UN in New York, said accountability should be ensured for crimes committed against peacekeepers.
UN Under-Secretary-General for Management Strategy, Policy and Compliance Catherine Pollard, Bangladesh Police Additional Inspector General Kamrul Ahsan, Global Affairs Canada’s Director General of the Peace and Stabilisation Operations Ulric Shannon and Uruguay foreign ministry Director General for Political Affairs Luis Bermudez also spoke at the event.
Lacroix is scheduled to leave Dhaka today after wrapping up his three-day visit to Bangladesh.

Huge crowds swarm
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Shortly after midday, pilgrims packed most of the tents, which contain two to three beds and are fitted with water and food.
Many were overcome by the experience as they fulfil a lifelong dream at the sites where Islam began.
Saudi officials say this year’s hajj -- one of the five pillars of Islam -- could be the biggest in history. After 2.5 million attended in 2019, numbers were capped in 2020, 2021 and 2022 because of the Covid pandemic.
As part of the safety measures, helicopters and AI-equipped drones have been deployed to monitor the flow of traffic towards Mina, which sits in a narrow valley flanked by rocky mountains.
A small fleet of self-driving buses, seating up to 11 people, is in operation between the sites of the rituals, including Makkah -- Islam’s holiest city -- Mina and Muzdalifah.
One of the biggest risks this year at the hajj, which follows the lunar calendar, is heat, especially after maximum age restrictions were removed.
The health ministry has recommended pilgrims use umbrellas during the day and has told the sick and elderly to stay indoors around midday to “avoid sunstroke”.
Four hospitals and 26 clinics are ready to deal with ailing pilgrims in Mina, and more than 190 ambulances have been deployed, officials said.
The pilgrims will pray and recite the Koran for several hours at Mount Arafat today and spend the night nearby. The following day, they will gather pebbles and hurl them at three giant concrete walls for the symbolic “stoning of the devil” ritual.
The last stop is back in Makkah, where they will perform a final circumambulation of the Kaaba.
All Muslims who are capable are expected to perform the hajj at least once. About 1.6 million foreigners had arrived for the pilgrimage by Friday evening, officials said.