• India is hosting a first-ever Conference for Women Peacekeepers at UN missions in New Delhi on February 24 & 25.

• The conference brings together women peacekeepers from 35 Troop Contributing Countries (TCCs) from the Global South.

• The theme of the conference is ‘Women in Peacekeeping: A Global South Perspective’.

• It aims to bring together women officials from the Global South to discuss issues of contemporary relevance to peacekeeping and the various challenges being faced by peacekeeping Missions.

• It is being organised by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), in collaboration with the defence ministry and the Centre for United Nations Peacekeeping (CUNPK).

What is UN peacekeeping?

• UN peacekeeping helps countries torn by conflict create conditions for lasting peace. Peacekeeping has proven to be one of the most effective tools available to the UN to assist host countries navigate the difficult path from conflict to peace.

• It is a unique global partnership. It brings together the General Assembly, the Security Council, the Secretariat, troop and police contributors and the host governments in a combined effort to maintain international peace and security.

• The first UN peacekeeping mission was established in May 1948, when the UN Security Council authorised the deployment of a small number of UN military observers to the Middle East to form the United Nations Truce Supervision Organisation (UNTSO) to monitor the Armistice Agreement between Israel and its Arab neighbours.

• In over 70 years, more than one million men and women have served under the UN flag in more than 70 UN peacekeeping operations. 

• There are currently 11 peacekeeping operations led by the Department of Peace Operations.

• In the early years, UN Peacekeeping’s goals were primarily limited to maintaining ceasefires and stabilising situations on the ground so that efforts could be made at the political level to resolve the conflict by peaceful means. 

• Those missions consisted of military observers and lightly armed troops with monitoring, reporting and confidence-building roles in support of ceasefires and limited peace agreements. Troops and police came from a relatively small number of countries and they were mostly men. 

• Over the years, UN Peacekeeping has adapted to meet the demands of different conflicts and a changing political landscape. Today’s multidimensional peacekeeping operations are called upon not only to maintain peace and security but also to facilitate the political processes, protect civilians, disarm combatants, support elections, protect and promote human rights and restore the rule of law.

• Peacekeeping has unique strengths, including legitimacy, burden sharing, and an ability to deploy and sustain troops and police from around the globe, integrating them with civilian peacekeepers to advance multidimensional mandates.

The role of UN Security Council

• The Security Council has primary responsibility, under the United Nations Charter, for the maintenance of international peace and security. It is for the Security Council to determine when and where a UN peace operation should be deployed.

• The Security Council responds to crises around the world on a case-by-case basis and it has a range of options at its disposal. It takes many different factors into account when considering the establishment of new peace operation.

• The Security Council establishes a peace operation by adopting a Security Council resolution. The resolution sets out that mission’s mandate and size. 

• The Security Council can vote to extend, amend or end mission mandates as it deems appropriate.

What are the duties of peacekeepers?

• UN peacekeepers (often referred to as Blue Berets or Blue Helmets) provide security and the political and peacebuilding support to help countries make the difficult, early transition from conflict to peace.

• While most peacekeepers are serving in the military or police, 14 per cent are civilians who perform a wide range of functions, from serving as the civilian leadership of the mission to working in the areas of political and civil affairs, human rights, elections, strategic communications, IT, logistics, transport and administration and more.

• Women peacekeepers today play an increasingly prominent role and are crucial towards improving the performance of the missions. They serve as police officers, troops, pilots, military observers, and other uniformed and civilian posts, including in command positions.

• With its expanded role and operations in some of the world’s most challenging environments, peacekeepers face considerable risks. 

India’s role in UN peacekeeping

• Commencing with its participation in the UN operation in Korea in 1950, India has a long and distinguished history of service in UN peacekeeping.

Since the 1950s, India has contributed over 290,000 peacekeepers across more than 50 missions. 

• According to the MEA, India remains the largest troop contributing country to this day. 

• Currently, more than 5,000 Indian peacekeepers are deployed in nine of the 11 active missions, often in challenging and hostile environments. 

• Medical care is among the many services Indian peacekeepers provide to the communities in which they serve on behalf of the UN. They also perform specialised tasks such as veterinary support and engineering services.

• India has also provided 15 Force Commanders to various missions, and was the first country to contribute to the Trust Fund on sexual exploitation and abuse, which was set up in 2016.

• Over 180 Indian peacekeepers have lost their lives while serving with the UN.

• Captain Gurbachan Singh Salaria was martyred in December 1961 during the UN Mission in Congo. He was posthumously honoured with the Param Vir Chakra for his courage. He became the first and the only recipient of this coveted award given to a soldier in an UN operation.

• India has been at the forefront of deploying women in peacekeeping roles, both military and police. 

• The first chapter of this journey began in the 1960s, when Indian women, as medical officers, were deployed in Congo. 

• In 2007, India was the first to deploy an all-women Formed Police Unit in Liberia — a pioneering initiative that had an indelible impact on both the host community and the broader UN framework. 

• Over the years, this initiative empowered Liberian women, increasing their participation in security sectors. 

• Today, over 150 Indian women peacekeepers are deployed across six critical missions, including those in the Democratic Republic of Congo, South Sudan, Lebanon, Golan Heights, Western Sahara, and Abyei.

• The participation of women in peace operations makes it more diverse and inclusive. Women peacekeepers often have unique access to local communities, acting as role models for women in conflict zones.

International Day of UN Peacekeepers

• The International Day of UN Peacekeepers is observed on May 29. 

• International Day of UN Peacekeepers was established to honour the memory of the UN peacekeepers who have lost their lives in the cause of peace, and to pay tribute to all the men and women who have served and continue to serve in UN peacekeeping operations for their high level of professionalism, dedication and courage.

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