Latest news with #InternationalPeacekeepers'Day
Scoop
28-05-2025
- Politics
- Scoop
‘We Are Women Like You': UN Honours Peacekeepers For Work In Gender Empowerment
28 May 2025 There, alongside civilian gender units, Ms. Syme met a group of local community members – both men and women. Partway through, she realised something was different. 'The women were not talking,' she told UN News. 'They were very quiet.' Then she remembered that local cultural norms dictated women do not speak in public. 'We are women like you. We want to be able to help, but we don't know how we can help you,' she told them in a separate meeting. 'Can you please tell us what your problem is so we can see how we can help?' It is for this sort of work founded in community trust building and a relentless belief in the importance of gender perspectives and empowerment in peacekeeping, that the UN will honour two exceptional women peacekeepers on Thursday as part of International Peacekeepers' Day. Ms. Syme is this year's winner of the UN Military Gender Advocate of 2024 Award. '[Ms. Syme's] dedication has not only improved the effectiveness of UNISFA's operations but also ensured that the mission is more reflective of and responsive to the communities it serves,' said Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix. The other honouree is Chief Superintendent Zainab Mbalu Gbla of Sierra Leone who has been named Woman Police Officer of the year for her work with UNISFA. 'Chief Superintendent Gbla embodies the work of the United Nations to improve lives and shape futures,' said Mr. Lacroix. Gender and peacekeeping The UN Woman Police Officer of the Year Award was established in 2011 and the UN Military Gender Advocate of the Year Award was first presented five years later. Both awards recognize peacekeepers whose work has substantially advanced the integration of gender perspectives and empowerment into peacekeeping. In 2000, the Security Council passed a resolution which affirmed the essential role women play in peacebuilding, peacekeeping and humanitarian responses. Since then, the United Nations has worked to fully integrate gender perspectives into peacekeeping. According to Ms. Syme, applying gender perspectives should be a 'daily task' for all peacekeepers. 'We need to understand the gender dynamics within our area of operation, otherwise, we might not be able to have the right intervention, we might not be able to carry out the right activities,' she said. Intergenerational legacy Ms. Gbla experienced the impact of peacekeeping herself as a civilian in Sierra Leone in the wake of a war that ravaged her country. 'I saw people coming from different parts of the world just to bring peace to my country… That's why I told myself that one day I'd love to be a peacekeeper – to help other people, to return the favour,' Ms. Gbla told UN News. As a UNISFA gender officer, not only did she create a school programme and female mentorship network where none had existed before, she also worked diligently to ensure that learning was fun, incorporating performing arts and visual aids. '[The women of Abyei] are ready to work, they are ready to do things for themselves if peace allows them. The children are ready to go to school, if peace allows them,' she said. A health campaign in Abyei Ms. Syme's meeting with the women of Sector North was the beginning of an enormously successful health campaign in the region which discussed harmful practices such as child marriage and female genital mutilation, the two issues which the community women had identified. The campaign engaged both men and women, and Ms. Syme said that she was deeply impressed and moved by the response of the male leaders who, through the campaign, realized the harm that practices of child marriage and female genital mutilation had caused. '[The leaders] promised that they are going to revise these cultural practices so that going forward, they will not do it again,' Ms. Syme said. This campaign happened in June 2024 and has driven Ms. Syme's work since then, work which includes training over 1,500 UNISFA officials in gender-responsive peacekeeping. 'It has motivated me,' Ms. Syme said. 'It has motivated me a lot.' The future of peacekeeping through gender Both Ms. Syme and Ms. Gbla will receive their awards on International Peacekeeping Day. This year, Member States and UN officials will be asked to consider the future of peacekeeping. For both Ms. Syme and Ms. Gbla, the future of peacekeeping and security cannot be disentangled from gender perspectives and empowerment. 'If you don't know the gender dynamics of the area, if you don't know who is in charge, if you don't know what will benefit who…you may think you are providing security, but you are not really providing security,' Ms. Syme said. Ms. Gbla, in discussing her award, paid homage to all the women who wear a UN uniform, underlining their tireless work in the pursuit of peace. 'Each of us [women] faces unique challenges in our respective missions, yet our collective goal remains the same – to foster peace and protect the vulnerable."
Morocco World
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Morocco World
FAR Inspector General Receives UN Mission Commander to Boost Military Cooperation
Doha – Royal Armed Forces Inspector General Mohammed Berrid received UN Mission Commander Division General Fakhrul Ahsan Thursday at the Southern Zone headquarters in Agadir. The meeting brought together senior military officials from both organizations as part of regular consultations between FAR and the United Nations mission operating in Morocco's southern provinces. Colonel Alexander Kask, Chief of Staff of the UN mission force, accompanied General Ahsan to the high-level talks. The commanders discussed ongoing mission activities and examined coordination mechanisms that have developed between the two military structures over recent months. Both sides acknowledged the exceptional level of cooperation achieved in operational coordination, security, demining efforts, and logistical support. The productive working relationship has enabled smoother implementation of mission objectives despite regional challenges that continue to complicate peacekeeping efforts. These periodic encounters between FAR leadership and UN commanders have become instrumental in maintaining effective communication channels. During these meetings, they discuss operational concerns while strengthening collaborative frameworks established since the mission's deployment in the territory. A commitment to peacekeeping Morocco's military contributions to international peacekeeping provide critical context to this collaboration. With a legacy of over 65 years in UN peace operations, the country currently ranks as the world's eighth-largest contributor, fielding 1,718 blue berets across four theaters of operations in the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Sudan, and South Sudan. Moroccan peacekeepers are deployed under diverse mandates — from civilian protection to post-conflict stabilization — earning widespread recognition for their discipline and effectiveness. UN Secretary-General António Guterres paid tribute to Morocco's peacekeeping contributions during the 2024 International Peacekeepers' Day ceremony, posthumously honoring two Moroccan soldiers who lost their lives while serving in the Central African Republic under the UN flag. Likewise, in his address marking the 69th anniversary of the Royal Armed Forces last week, King Mohammed VI stressed the urgent need for military vigilance and professionalism in the face of unprecedented regional and international disruptions. He also gave high remarks for the men and women of the FAR 'who watch over our land, air, and sea borders day and night, as well as the various units stationed in our Moroccan Sahara, for their dedication in fulfilling their sacred duty to protect the unity of the Homeland and its security—giving full meaning to the values of solid cohesion that characterize all Moroccans in the defense of their first national cause.' During the 2025 UN Peacekeeping Ministerial in Berlin, Morocco's delegation shared field-based recommendations calling for mission mandates grounded in on-the-ground realities. The country also advocated for the value of specialized pre-deployment training. To that end, it has established a Peacekeeping Training Center of Excellence in Benslimane, set to become a regional hub for advanced operational preparation. Separatist violations derail peacekeeping framework However, the Polisario Front's systematic ceasefire violations have severely disrupted MINURSO operations since November 2020. The separatist movement unilaterally abandoned its commitments under Military Agreement No. 1, which it had signed with the United Nations in 1991 following years of armed conflict. The separatist group's decision to terminate ceasefire obligations has destabilized the buffer zone and undermined decades of peacekeeping progress. Polisario continues provoking confrontations in the demilitarized area while attacking international institutions through inflammatory rhetoric and accusations of bias. Morocco maintains strict adherence to the military agreement despite persistent provocations from the separatist group. FAR continues supporting MINURSO operations within available parameters while defending national territory against repeated infiltration attempts and armed harassment. The separatist front's escalating recklessness has deeply unsettled international observers, who now sound urgent warnings over the growing risk of conflict in the Western Sahara. Polisario's blatant contempt for UN authority, coupled with its willful and repeated breaches of international law, constitutes a grave threat to regional peace and security. The militia, increasingly viewed as a terrorist group and reportedly under consideration for formal designation, undermines the very foundations of multilateral diplomacy and fuels instability across North Africa. Tags: Moroccan Royal Armed Forcesthe UN mission in the Western Sahara
