Women in peacekeeping
Hyderabad: More women are joining Indian forces, following long-standing calls to boost their presence in international missions like United Nations Peacekeeping mission. For more than a decade, the United Nations (UN) has called for more participation from women in conflict prevention, post-conflict peacebuilding and peacekeeping. Read why is it important to have women peacekeepers in conflict-hit regions…
UN Peacekeeping
UN Peacekeeping began in 1948 when the UN Security Council authorised the deployment of UN military observers to the Middle East. UN Peacekeeping helps countries navigate the difficult path from conflict to peace. It deploys troops and police from around the world, integrating them with civilian peacekeepers to address a range of mandates set by the UN Security Council (UNSC) and the General Assembly.
Indian Women in Peacekeeping Forces
For the first time in the history of UN peacekeeping, India sent an all-female Formed Police Unit to be deployed in Liberia in 2007 after a civil war ravaged the African nation.
Recently, at the UN Security Council (UNSC), Indian officials called for more female participation in public life and the elimination of violence against them as a prerequisite for promoting lasting peace around the world.
Role of women peacekeepers
Women are deployed in all areas – police, military and civilian – and have made a positive impact on peacekeeping environments, including in supporting the role of women in building peace and protecting women’s rights.
Improved Operations And Performance: Greater diversity and a broadened skillset means improved decision‐making, planning and results, leading to greater operational effectiveness and performance.
Better Access: Women peacekeepers can better access the population, including women and children – for example, by interviewing and supporting survivors of violence thereby generating critical information that would otherwise be difficult to reach.
Building Trust and Confidence: Women peacekeepers are essential enablers to build trust and confidence with local communities and help improve access and support for local women.
Inspiring and Creating Role Models: Women peacekeepers serve as powerful mentors and role models for women and girls in post-conflict settings in the host community, setting examples for them to advocate for their own rights and pursue non‐traditional careers.
Current status
Current Numbers: According to the UN, in 2020, out of approximately 95,000 peacekeepers, women constitute 4.8% of military contingents and 10.9% of formed police units and 34% of justice and corrections government-provided personnel in UN Peacekeeping missions.
Global Effort Initaitive: UN Police Division launched ‘the Global Effort’ to recruit more female police officers into national police services and into UN police operations around the world. The 2028 target for women serving in military contingents is 15%, and 25% for military observers and staff officers.
UNSC Resolution: UN Security Council resolution 1325 (UNSCR1325) has called for an expansion of the role and contribution of women in its operations, including uniformed women peacekeepers.
Action for Peacekeeping (A4P) initiative: The UN Action for Peacekeeping (A4P) initiative views the Women, Peace and Security agenda as critical to enhancing peacekeeping operations’ performance.
Biggest contributors (as of March 2021)
– Bangladesh – 6608
– Rwanda -6335
– Ethiopia -6245
– Nepal -5674
– India -5528
– Pakistan -4732
– Egypt -3074
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