"The role of women in peacekeeping missions: more strength for a higher status"

Over the past 60 years, UN peacekeeping missions have become one of the main tools used by the international
community to overcome complex crises that threaten international peace and security. Today, more than 110,000 men
and women, soldiers, police and civilian employees serve 16 peacekeeping missions around the world, from the
sunburnt lands of Darfur to the mountains of the Democratic Republic of Congo and the coasts of Haiti. The number of
countries supporting police and military personnel missions has increased to 120; now there is more than ever. They
don't just strengthen UN missions; The growing number of participating countries is a clear expression of universal
respect, support and trust for UN peacekeeping operations.

In 2000, the UN Security Council adopted historic Resolution 1325 on women, peace and security. For the first time in
this multifaceted resolution, the Council recognised that it is women who suffer the most during armed conflicts and
must have a consistent role in their prevention and resolution.

The resolution emphasizes the importance of women's equitable participation and their full commitment in all efforts to
maintain and promote peace and security. Among the many recommendations, the resolution calls for an expansion of
the role and increased participation of women in UN peacekeeping missions, for military, police and civilian functions, as
well as leadership positions.

Following the implementation of Resolution 1325, the United Nations, peacekeeping missions and Member States have
endeavoured to achieve these objectives, but the results are far from satisfactory. For civilian employees, the
proportion of women who have successfully recruited, were employed and participated in peacekeeping missions is
nearly 40 percent. With regard to the uniformed services of UN peacekeeping missions, progress was much weaker and
accounts for less than 3% of the proportion of women: uniformed members send uniformed personnel. Of the 10,000
police officers, 8 percent are women, and among the 80,000 service members, only 2 percent are women.

On 29 May 2009, in which we celebrate international Participants' Day in the UN Peacekeeping Missions, we paid
tribute to all those who lost their lives defending peace and serving peacekeeping missions. In 2008, 10 of the 132
people who died were women.

The traditional role of peacekeeping missions, whose task was to monitor ceasefire agreements and respect the
boundaries between sovereign states, has become large multidimensional peacekeeping missions operating in areas
covered by civil wars. These new missions are empowered to: initiate political processes by promoting national dialogue
and the idea of reconciliation; protection of civilians; assistance in disarming, demobilizing and reintegrating combatants
into society; supporting the organization of elections; protect and promote human rights; promoting reforms of the
national security sector; and to support the restoration of the rule of law.

These extended responsibilities increase more than ever the demand for women's participation in peacekeeping
missions. In all these areas, women taking part in peacekeeping missions have shown that they can perform the same
roles and roles, working in the same difficult conditions as men. In many cases, women are more willing to carry out
peacekeeping tasks, including interviews with victims of sexual and gender-based violence, working in women's prisons,
assisting female veterans in the demobilization process, and reintegration into society, and training cadets in police
academies

The contribution of women is even more valuable because in local settings where women work on peacekeeping
missions, they are a role model, inspiring, for example, women and girls who often live in societies dominated by
manhood Is. By showing these women and girls that they can do anything, in politics, security, law and order, medicine,
journalism and others, women in blue helmets actually embody the idea of "more strength for superior status."