In 2007, India became the first country to deploy an entirely women contingent for a UN peacekeeping mission.
New York:
India is set to deploy a platoon of women peacekeepers in Sudan’s Abyei region today as part of the Indian battalion in the United Nations Interim Security Force (UNISFA).
This will be India’s largest single unit of women peacekeepers in a UN mission since it deployed an all-women contingent for the first time in Liberia in 2007, said India’s Permanent Mission to the UN in a press release.
In 2007, India became the first country to deploy an entirely women contingent for a UN peacekeeping mission. Police units formed in Liberia provided 24-hour guard duty, night patrols in the capital Monrovia, and helped build the capacity of the Liberian Police.
The Indian contingent, comprising two officers and 25 other ranks, will form part of an Engagement Platoon and specialize in community outreach, though they will also undertake extensive security-related work, added the release.
His presence will be particularly welcome in Abyei, where a recent escalation of violence has raised challenging humanitarian concerns for women and children in the conflict zone.
The deployment to the abbey will also mark the beginning of India’s intention to significantly increase the number of Indian women in its peacekeeping contingents, the release said.
The Security Council responded to the immediate situation in the Abyei region of Sudan by establishing UNISFA by its resolution 1990 of 27 June 2011. The Security Council was deeply concerned by the violence, rising tensions and population displacement.
The operation is tasked with monitoring the flashpoint border between north and south and facilitating the delivery of humanitarian aid, and is authorized to use force in the protection of civilians and humanitarian workers in Abyei.
UNISFA was founded after the government of Sudan and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) reached an agreement in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, to remove Abaye and allow Ethiopian troops to monitor the area.
Over 200,000 Indians have served in 49 of the 71 UN peacekeeping missions established around the world since 1948.
India has a long tradition of sending women on UN peacekeeping missions. In 1960, women serving in the Indian Armed Forces Medical Services were interviewed by United Nations Radio before being posted to the Republic of the Congo.
Women peacekeepers are highly regarded in peacekeeping missions around 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, read the release.
Indian women especially have a rich tradition in peacekeeping. Dr. Kiran Bedi, Major Suman Gawani and Shakti Devi, the first police advisors of the UN, have made their mark in UN peacekeeping.
Our teams in Congo and South Sudan have done outstanding work mainstreaming women and children into grassroots community and social development projects, the release said.
Indian peacekeepers have served in UN peacekeeping operations around the world. They protect civilians and support peacekeeping processes, and also perform special tasks. In Eritrea, Indian engineers helped rehabilitate roads as part of the United Nations Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea (UNMEE).
In addition, Indian doctors provided medical care to local populations in missions around the world, including in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Veterinarians are also sometimes deployed as part of the peace-building process.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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