The Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General for Côte d’Ivoire and Head of the United Nations Operation in Côte d’Ivoire (UNOCI), Mrs Aïchatou Mindaoudou, presided over a medal parade ceremony for 190 members of the Bangladeshi Formed Police Unit (BANFPU) in Korhogo on Wednesday, 23 March 2016. She was accompanied by the chief of UNOCI Police, Commissioner Vianey Nshimiyimana.

“Zero tolerance on sexual exploitation and abuse and impunity”.

United Nations Medal parade ceremonies are organized to honour peacekeepers for their commitment, devotion to duty and professionalism.

Speaking during the ceremony, the Special Representative congratulated the BANFPU peacekeepers on the tasks they had accomplished in their area of deployment as part of UNOCI’s mandate. She welcomed the presence of Ivorian civilian and military authorities at the ceremony and thanked them for their perfect collaboration with UNOCI civili staff and peacekeepers. Mrs Mindaoudou also expressed her profound gratitude to Ivorians for their daily support to the United Nations and UNOCI.

In addition, the Special Representative recalled the need for UN peacekeepers to scrupulously respect the laws and customs of the host country, as well as the rules and regulations of the United Nations, including the Organisation’s “zero tolerance on sexual exploitation and Abuse”.

On this issue, the commander of the Bangladeshi Contingent, Lt-Colonel Rahman Mansour assured the Head of UNOCI "the exemplary behaviour of his men".

Bangladesh is one of the main troop contributing countries to peacekeeping missions. In Côte d’Ivoire, Bangladeshi troops have been in the UN Mission since 2005, and are involved in security operations. They also carry out humanitarian actions to benefit local populations. The ceremony ended with a military parade.