Women in UN Peace Keeping forces

• India will train ASEAN women personnel under India-ASEAN Initiative for women in UNPK operations to expand India-ASEAN defence cooperation.
• The training will include two different initiatives–
  • Tailor-made courses for women peacekeepers of ASEAN member-states at Centre for UNPK in India.
    • Under this, total 20 peacekeepers would be trained.
  • ‘Table Top Exercise’ for women officers from ASEAN incorporating facets of UNPK challenges to be conducted.
• Women in Peacekeeping Forces
  • For the first time, an all-female Formed Police Unit (FPU) was deployed in Liberia in 2007.
  • As per UN, in 2020, out of approximately 95,000 peacekeepers, women constitute 4.8% of military contingents and 9% of formed police units.

ABOUT UNPK MISSION

• It aims to assist host countries to transition from situations of conflict to peace.
• It is guided by three basic principles:
  • Consent of parties;
  • Impartiality; and
  • Non-use of force except in self-defence and defence of the mandate.
• Peacekeeping operations get their mandates from UN Security Council.
• International Day of UN Peacekeepers is celebrated on 29^th May every year.
  • Theme for 2023- “Peace begins with me.”

The first UN peacekeeping mission named the ‘United Nations Truce Supervision Organisation’, or UNTSO, began operations in Palestine in 1948 on May 29.