The full, equal and meaningful participation of women in all peacekeeping areas has been found to make United Nations operations more effective and lets the organisation better reflect and engage with the communities it serves, the UN says as it marks Women, Peace, and Security (WPS) Month. However, according to the latest data available, women still make up just 10% of peacekeeping’s police and military personnel.
As UN military and police personnel are contributed by Member States, drawing from their own security institutions, troop and police contributors are critical to closing this gender gap. To help empower women peacekeepers and increase their numbers, UN Member States have committed to promote equal opportunity for all in their own security and defence institutions by identifying and removing barriers to women serving. This is making their own security sectors stronger while also leading to the deployment of more diverse military and police contingents to peacekeeping missions.
On 17 October, the UN released its first-ever report on this issue, “Towards Equal Opportunity for Women in the Defence Sector.” It highlights that, despite the efforts of Member States to achieve gender equality, challenges and barriers still exist, making this a key issue for all. The report also showcases some innovative solutions that countries are using to boost women’s participation. Here are four standout best practices from the report:
1. India: expanding opportunities for women in the armed forces
India, a top contributor to UN peace operations, has made significant strides toward integrating women into its military forces. In 2020, the Indian Army began offering women permanent positions, giving them equal opportunities for career advancement. By 2022, the National Defence Academy admitted its first female cadets, symbolizing progress in building gender-equal pathways in military leadership.
2. Canada: reforming military culture to promote inclusivity
Canada is spearheading military reforms to eliminate gender bias and address sexual misconduct. In 2021, they established a Chief of Professional Conduct and Culture (CPCC) to foster a safe and respectful environment for all service members. This cultural shift enhances the operational effectiveness of Canadian forces and, in turn, strengthens Canada’s peacekeeping deployments by ensuring inclusive participation.
Colonel Marie-Ève Bégin, the Director General of the CPCC, highlighted that “the creation of [this new structure] shows our commitment to improving our organization’s culture.”
3. Uruguay: empowering women in the armed forces through family support
Uruguay has introduced initiatives to support women in its military, with a focus on deployment, helping them balance military service with caregiver responsibilities. With support from the Elsie Initiative Fund, the Ministry of Defence provides scholarships to cover childcare and elder care costs for deployed women and single parent families, regardless of gender, ensuring that caregiver obligations do not hinder participation in military operations and peacekeeping deployments.
4. Ghana: training women for leadership in peacekeeping
Ghana, another of UN Peacekeeping’s top troop-contributing countries, is addressing the challenge of advancing women’s careers in the national army by focusing on skills development, including in operational and tactical fields that are traditionally male-dominated, as well as on leadership opportunities.
“We should continue to challenge gender stereotypes, call out discrimination, draw attention to biases and seek out inclusion,” said Commodore Faustina Anokye, the highest-ranking female officer in the history of the Ghanaian navy who also served as Deputy Force Commander of the UN peacekeeping mission in the Western Sahara (MINURSO).
A global commitment to inclusive security
Removing barriers to women who want to serve in the defence sector is a key way Member States are meeting their commitment to promote gender equality in peacekeeping missions. “If these institutions are not inclusive and representative,” said Alexandre Zouev, Assistant Secretary-General for Rule of Law and Security Institutions, “our gender parity efforts in peacekeeping will inevitably fall short.”
Departments across the UN, through their Security Sector Reform (SSR) initiatives, are supporting Member States’ efforts to promote women’s participation in their defence sectors. The UN has also launched the Braking Barriers, Building Peace advocacy campaign, which is promoting equal opportunities in defence and security sectors around the world. Through this work, the UN and its Member State partners are making peacekeeping more representative and responsive to diverse security needs, which is especially critical in today’s complex conflict environments.
By committing to gender equality, the UN and its Member States are building more inclusive societies and enhancing sustainable peace and security for all.
Written by Elssa Gbeily, a Strategic Communications Intern from Belgium and Lebanon focusing on gender issues with the UN Department of Peace Operations. She has a background in gender, peace and security.
