Peacekeeping forces - individual countries

Since the beginning of the United Nations, the organization has sent peacekeeping forces to conflict areas to restore or ensure peace or to separate different sides in a conflict.

This page contains information on the contribution that individual member states made to the United Nations Peacekeeping Forces. General information on peacekeeping can be found on a separate page. There are also special pages on the Korean War, since it is a military operation that differs from all others.

Countries listed:

Austria

Bangladesh

Belgium

Austria

Austria is a significant contributor to UN peacekeeping. Since 1960, it has participated in over fifty peace-keeping operations. Over 50.000 Austrians have served under UN leadership. In the service for peace, twenty-three lost their lives. Taking into account personnel serving in UN mandated missions, involving other bodies such as the OSCE, the EU and NATO, Austria currently contributes over 1000 troops, military observers, civilian police officers and civilian experts to peace missions throughout the world.

In 1996, Austria together with six partner nations established the "Stand-by Forces High Readiness Brigade for United Nations Operations" (SHIRBRIG) within the framework of the "Stand-by Arrangement System" (SAS). In the year 2001 SHIRBRIG successfully completed its first field mission in the Horn of Africa. In 2004 Austria held the Presidency in this co-operation.

The photo shows an Austrian UN observer post on the Golan Heights (photo: Bundesheer/Austrian Federal Army).

Stamp catalogue

Austria 20 September 1990 (30th anniversary)

Austria 22 June 2001 (field post office on Cyprus)

Bangladesh

Bangladesh is a relative newcomer to UN peacekeeping. Seventeen years after independence, following an internal arms struggle in 1988, Dhaka consented to deploy 31 unarmed military observers as part of the UN Iran-Iraq Military Observer Group (UNIIMOG) to supervise and monitor the ceasefire between the two nations. Following this, in 1989, Bangladesh participated in the United Nations Transition Assistance Group (UNTAG) in Namibia, to which it sent a team of 25 military observers.

During the first Gulf War in 1991, the Bangladesh Army sent a 2.193 member team to monitor peace in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. Following that, the Bangladesh Army participated in peace keeping activities in Namibia, Cambodia, Somalia, Uganda/Rwanda, Mozambique, former Yugoslavia, Liberia, Haiti, Tajikistan, Western Sahara, Sierra Leone, Kosovo, Georgia, East Timor, Congo, Côte d'Ivoire and Ethiopia. Bangladesh provided force commanders for the UN peacekeeping missions in Mozambique and Georgia.

As of April 2006, Bangladesh had a total of nearly 9.500 troops committed to UN Peacekeeping operations around the world, the most of any nation in the world. As of February 2007, Bangladesh remained the largest contributor with 10.126 troops in the UN Peacekeeping forces. Bangladesh is also emerging as an important contributor of the civilian police (CIVPOL) for these missions.

Bangladesh's frequency of participation in external UN missions is quite remarkable. Since 1988 the country has made sizeable troop commitments in a total of 31 UN peace missions worldwide. This is significant when compared with India, which has contributed to only slightly more missions (36) and has been participating in UN peace operations for more than 50 years. Bangladesh's frequency of participation is also greater than some other new peacekeepers from the Third World.

The photo shows Secretary-General Kofi Annan visiting Rajendrapu, site of the Peacekeeping Operations Training Centre, where Bangladeshi military personnel are trained for service in United Nations peacekeeping missions on 14 March 2001. Here, the Secretary-General (fourth from left) is seen touring a replica of a typical United Nations checkpoint (photo: UN Photo, EDD352).

Stamp catalogue

Bangladesh 12 September 1989 (1st anniversary)

Belgium

Belgium participated in early peacekeeping operations, such as those in Kashmir (1949) and in Korea (1950) where it sent a large contingent. After Korea, there were no Belgian interventions in peacekeeping operations until the 90’s, with operations in Somalia (UNOSOM), in the former Yugoslavia (UNPROFOR/UNTAES), and in Rwanda (UNAMIR), where 10 Belgian blue helmets got killed in 1994. This tragic incident put a hold on the Belgian participation to peacekeeping operations, before gearing back up in the 21st century.

Today, the Belgian military are sporting the blue helmet in Sudan (UNMIS), Lebanon (UNIFIL), Israel (UNTSO) and DRC (MONUC). They are also dispatched in UN-mandated coalitions such as ISAF in Afghanistan.

From March 2009 the Belgian marine lead UNIFIL MTF for three months. The staff of twenty persons from six different countries operated from the frigate Leopold I. UNIFIL MTF is a flotilla that carries out a MIO (Maritime Interdiction Operation) with the aim of preventing arms smuggling to Lebanon and supporting the Lebanese marine in carrying out security operations in their territorial waters. (photo: Belgian Ministry of Defence)

Stamp catalogue

Belgium 8 March 1997

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last revised: 28 June 2009