By the middle of the coming year, all Indian Army’s peacekeeping missions being conducted under the United Nations (UN) mandate will have teams of women soldiers deployed alongside their male counterparts.
Referred to as Female Engagement Teams (FETs), these are already operational in the United Nations Organisation Stabilisation Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUSCO), United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA) and United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF), while an additional team was inducted into the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) in July 2024.
“Another team will be inducted in the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) by mid-2025, thereby ensuring FETs with each mission,” the Ministry of Defence (MoD) has stated. This is in line with UN directives to increase participation of women personnel and emphasise gender responsive peacekeeping.
In addition to FETs, at present 23 per cent of staff officers or military observers deputed to various UN missions are women officers, according to MoD. Two women psychological counsellors from the Military Nursing Service (MNS) have been sent to UN missions for outreach to local communities and to augment peace building efforts.
India has been among the largest contributors of troops for UN peacekeeping missions across the globe. Besides the Army and the Air Force, personnel, including women, from the Central Armed Police Forces as well as state police forces, have also made significant contributions for various UN missions.
At present, the Indian Army has deployed approximately 5,200 military personnel in five Infantry Battalions and 11 formed units apart from staff officers and military observers in ten UN missions in Congo, South Sudan, Abyei, Western Sahara, Central African Republic, Addis Ababa, Lebanon, Syria, Israel and Cyprus.
India is currently said to be the eleventh largest contributor of women military peacekeepers to the United Nations, with about 125 now deployed. This is besides women from the Central and state police forces, who come under the purview of the Ministry of Home Affairs. In fact, the first all-woman formed police unit to be deployed by the UN was from India.
According to the UN, deployment of female peacekeepers significantly contributes to achieving sustainable peace and the improved well-being of women and girls in conflict-affected regions. The Security Council Resolution 1325 urges equal participation of women at all sectors of peacekeeping operations, including the military.
A UN document states that female soldiers perform in many functions and capacities, from command to frontline roles, while bringing an added value to military operations. Female soldiers provide an invaluable perspective in planning operations and in making key decisions, especially those affecting civilians, particularly women and girls. This is an operational imperative for a mission as it provides a holistic approach to meet its mandate in today’s complex and evolving peacekeeping environment.
Some unique tactical skills female military personnel bring to this field include screening of female civilians and conducting house searches in areas where it is not culturally appropriate for men to enter private spaces. Local populations in host countries often feel more comfortable liaising and sharing information with military troops that include women.
Two Indian women officers have been conferred the UN’s Military Gender Advocate of the Year Award that recognises a military peacekeeper who has best integrated a gender perspective into peacekeeping activities and safeguarded women and children in conflict-torn areas. These include Major Radhika Sen, FET Commander in MONUSCO and Major Suman Gawani in UNMISS.
