India Sends Women Peacekeepers To The UN Mission In Abyei

India, one of the most significant troop contributors to UN peacekeeping, is deploying a platoon of female peacekeepers in Abyei, the country's largest single unit of female Blue Helmets in a UN mission since 2007.

The move signalled India's intention to significantly increase the number of women in peacekeeping contingents.

“India is deploying an all #women’s platoon of peacekeepers as part of our battalion to the UN Mission in #Abyei @UNISFA_1. This is the single largest deployment of women #peacekeepers in recent years. Good wishes to the team!” Permanent Representative of India to the United Nations, Ruchira Kamboj said in a tweet.

The platoon of women peacekeepers will be deployed in Abyei as part of the Indian Battalion in the United Nations Interim Security Force, Abyei (UNISFA) on 6 January 2023, according to India's Permanent Mission to the UN.

“This will be India's largest single unit of women Peacekeepers in a UN Mission since the first-ever all-contingent women were deployed in Liberia in 2007. It will also signal India's intention to significantly increase the number of Indian women in peacekeeping contingents,” according to the statement.

The Indian contingent, consisting of two officers and 25 other ranks, will form part of an engagement platoon and specialise in community outreach and extensive security-related tasks. The statement added that their presence will be especially welcome in Abyei, where a recent surge in violence has triggered a slew of difficult humanitarian concerns for women and children in the conflict zone.

In a Security Council briefing on United Nations Peacekeeping Operations last September, Kamboj said that the role of women peacekeepers cannot be overstated in ineffective peacekeeping.

She also said that India was proud to have deployed the first all-women peacekeeping contingent in Liberia in 2007, “which inspired a generation of Liberian women to participate in the country's security sector, and we stand ready to contribute further in this regard.”

Women peacekeepers are “highly regarded” in UN missions around the world, according to the Indian mission, for their ability to reach out to and connect with women and children in local populations, particularly victims of sexual violence in conflict zones.

“Our teams in the Congo and South Sudan have also done sterling work in mainstreaming women and children into community and social developmental projects at the grassroots level,” the Indian mission said.

The 125-strong Indian Formed Police Unit deployed with the UN mission in Liberia has been praised for inspiring women in the West African country to become police officers. Then-UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon praised India's women's peacekeeping unit in Liberia as an inspiration to all, saying their actions demonstrated how women could assist the world body in combating sexual exploitation and abuse.

After Bangladesh, India is the second largest contributor to UN peacekeeping missions as of 31 October 2022, with 5887 troops and personnel deployed across 12 missions (7,017).