India deploys all-women platoon of peacekeepers to UN mission in Abyei

India will begin deploying women peacekeepers as part of its United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA) in South Sudan, country's foreign minister Dr Subrahmanyam Jaishankar announced on Friday.

"A Platoon of women peacekeepers deployed today as part of the Indian Battalion in UNISFA, Abyei," Dr Subrahmanyam Jaishankar said. "Our cherished tradition of UN Peacekeeping reflects Nari Shakti (women taking charge)," he added, pointing towards India's rich history of contributing in UN peacekeeping missions.

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The South Asian giant has taken part in 49 United Nations Peacekeeping missions with a total contribution exceeding 200,000 troops. As of July 2022, India has its peacekeeping personnel deployed in 8 out of 13 active UN Peacekeeping Missions.

Women in UN peacekeeping missions

In 2007, for the first time in the history of UN peacekeeping, India sent an all-female Formed Police Unit (FPU) to be deployed in war-ravaged Liberia.

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The United Nations has said in past that with more women being a part of peacekeeping missions, the operations have become more effective in recent times.

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As of 2020, out of approximately 95,000 peacekeepers, women constitute 4.8 per cent of military contingents and 10.9 per cent of formed police units and 34 per cent of justice and corrections government-provided personnel in UN Peacekeeping missions.

The 2028 target for women serving in military contingents is 15 per cent, and 25 per cent for military observers and staff officers.

The 2028 target for women serving in formed police units is 20 per cent, and 30 per cent for individual police officers.

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