Tag Archives: Indian Women Peacekeepers

INTERNATIONAL: PEACEKEEPERS: Indian Woman Peacekeeper Major Radhika Sen to receive ‘UN Military Gender Advocate of the Year Award’ . Who is she?

Radhika Sen served with the United Nations Organisation Stabilisation Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo from March 2023 to April 2024.

Indian woman peacekeeper Major Radhika Sen, who served with the UN mission in Congo, will be honoured with the prestigious military gender advocate award by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on May 30 (Thursday), marking the International Day of UN Peacekeepers.

Who is Major Radhika Sen?

  • Radhika Sen served with the United Nations Organisation Stabilisation Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) from March 2023 to April 2024 as the Commander of MONUSCO’s engagement platoon for the Indian rapid deployment battalion (INDRDB).
  • Major Radhika Sen joined the Indian Army eight years ago. She graduated with a degree in biotechnology engineering and was pursuing her Master’s degree at IIT Bombay when she decided to join the armed forces.
  • Sen was deployed to MONUSCO in March 2023 as the engagement platoon commander with the Indian rapid deployment battalion. She completed her tenure in April 2024. Sen is the second Indian peacekeeper to receive this prestigious award, following Major Suman Gawani, who served with the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) and was honoured with the United Nations military gender advocate of the year award in 2019.
  • UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres lauded Major Sen for her service and said she was a true leader and role model. “Her service was a true credit to the United Nations as a whole,” Guterres said.
  • Reacting to the development, Major Sen said, “This award is special to me as it gives recognition to the hard work put in by all the peacekeepers working in the challenging environment of DRC and giving their best to bring a positive change in the society.”

“Gender-sensitive peacekeeping is everybody’s business – not just us, women. Peace begins with all of us in our beautiful diversity!” she added.

Created by the office of military affairs within the department for peace operations (DPO) of the UN in 2016, the United Nations military gender advocate of the year award acknowledges the dedication and efforts of an individual military peacekeeper in promoting the principles of UN Security Council resolution 1325 on Women, Peace, and Security.

The awardee is selected from among candidates nominated by force commanders and heads of mission from all peace operations. India currently ranks as the 11th largest contributor of women military peacekeepers to the United Nations.

(With inputs from PTI)

source/content: hindustantimes.com (headline edited)

INTERNATIONAL: INDIA IN THE WORLD: 05 Women Peacekeepers from India Received Prestigious UN Medals for Serving For Peace at UNMISS Award Ceremony

In a notable first, an Indian Army women’s officer, Major Jasmine Chattha, led over a platoon of over 1,000 Indian Peacekeepers at the ceremony where they were awarded UN medals.

For their vital work in South Sudan, exactly 1,171 Indian Peacekeepers have been honoured with the prestigious UN Medal on Thursday,” tweets the UN Mission in South Sudan.

However, what grabs more attention are the experiences of the female peacekeepers deployed in Upper Nile, who have also been honored. Of the total 1,171 troops awarded, five were female.

Taking to Twitter, the United Mission in South Sudan elaborated on the details of the award ceremony.

“Take a bow, India! Exactly 1,171 of your finest sons and daughters have received UN medals for their vital UNMISS work in Upper Nile, South Sudan. Major Jasmine Chattha and a couple of her female colleagues tell us more about their experiences.”

Breaking stereotypes, Indian women peacekeepers have bravely served in and around various conflict-torn countries in the past—on medical duties and as military observers. As part of the Indian Battalion in the United Nations Interim Security Force, the Indian Army recently deployed its largest contingent of women peacekeepers in the United Nations mission at Abyei, UNISFA.

In a press statement released earlier by UNMISS, Major Chattha was quoted as saying, “It has been an honour to represent my regiment on this special day. By positioning women as leaders, we are sending a strong message to the citizens of South Sudan in general and its women in particular. In our work, for example when we repair roads or try to mitigate floods, we are in contact with the local population, and they can see that we, women, are leading a team and we are both respected and listened to.”

The Indian contingent deployed with the UN Mission in South Sudan has been assisting in building and repairing critical infrastructure while also ensuring the protection of civilians as part of their mandate.

Captain Karishma Kathayat, an engineer, serving with the mission, said, “It is a great feeling to contribute to a better standard of living of the people we are here to serve. Our engineering work is something we take great pride in.”

Out of the many daunting tasks, the Indian Peacekeepers are also offering health services.

The Indian Medical Peacekeeping Staff deployed in the region since September last year has performed critical emergency surgeries that have saved the lives of many.

Major Amanpreet Kaur, who is also a doctor, shared her experience and said, “We have already learned a lot by providing healthcare to both UNMISS staff and our South Sudanese hosts who come for emergencies or special treatment they cannot find elsewhere. Seeing previous patients coming back in good health is a priceless experience.”

Notably, the Indian contingent is also well known for its frequent mobile veterinary clinics in various parts of Upper Nile State. Notably, thousands of cows, goats, donkeys, sheep, and other animals, including the occasional dog, have been given precious veterinary services rarely available to cattle owners in the country. Vets earlier treated 1,749 animals in Renk, the country’s capital, in just two days.

source/content: newsonair.com (headline edited)

INTERNATIONAL: U.N. PEACEKEEPING: India’s Largest Single Unit Platoon of All-Woman Team to Keep Peace at Abyei on Sudan-South Sudan border

This will be India’s largest single unit of women peacekeepers in a U.N. mission since the deployment of the first-ever all women’s contingent in Liberia in 2007.

India is set to deploy an all-woman platoon of peacekeepers as part of a battalion to the United Nations Interim Security Force in Abyei (on the border between South Sudan and Sudan), which will be India’s largest single unit of women peacekeepers in a U.N. mission since the deployment of the first-ever all women’s contingent in Liberia in 2007, according to India’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations in New York.

India is one of the largest troop-contributing nations to the U.N. peacekeeping missions.

“Proud to see this. India has a tradition of active participation in U.N. peacekeeping missions. The participation by our Nari Shakti is even more gladdening,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Twitter.

The Indian contingent, comprising of two officers and 25 other ranks, will form part of an engagement platoon and specialise in community outreach, though they will be performing extensive security-related tasks as well, the Indian mission said in a statement. “Their presence will be especially welcome in Abyei, where a recent spurt in violence has triggered a spate of challenging humanitarian concerns for women and children in the conflict zone,” the statement added.

The team will provide relief and assistance to women and children in one of the most challenging terrain conditions under the U.N. flag, the Indian Army said on social media.

Women peacekeepers are highly regarded in peacekeeping missions throughout the world for their ability to reach out and connect with women and children in local populations, especially victims of sexual violence in conflict zones, the statement said.

source/content: thehindu.com (headline edited)