Indian Army Major Suman Gawani Honoured With UN Award For Peacekeeping

UN Chief Antonio Guterres on Friday honoured peacekeepers Major Suman Gawani from India and Commander Carla Monteiro de Castro Araujo from Brazil with the 2019 UN Military Gender Advocate of the Year Award.

(Photo: ANI)

New Delhi:  An Indian Army officer Major Suman Gawani has been awarded the prestigious 'United Nations Military Gender Advocate award' on Friday. She served as a woman peacekeeper with the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) in 2019. UN Chief Antonio Guteress presented the award to Gawani and Commander Carla Monteiro de Castro Araujo from Brazil saying their "inspiring work" promotes equality in the forces. Mr. Guterres bestowed the award to Ms. Gawani and Ms. Araujo in a virtual ceremony, commemorating the International Day of Peacekeepers. He said both Ms. Gawani and Ms. Araujo's "inspiring work has made a remarkable difference in promoting gender equality and empowering local women and your own colleagues." "Your contributions are proof that women peacekeepers are vital to peace and security everywhere," the UN secretary-general said. "Working towards peace as a military observer in South Sudan has been a life-changing experience. Serving under the blue helmet and wearing my country's flag on my uniform is a matter of pride," Major Suman as reported by ANI The UN Department of Peace Operations also congratulated Major Gawani for her commendable work with UNMISS.

Congratulations to the Military Gender Advocate of the Year Awardee, Major Suman Gawani of India 🇮🇳 serving with @unmissmedia in South Sudan! 🏆 More ℹ️: https://t.co/zT552mca10#PKDay #womeninpeacekeeping pic.twitter.com/3LDYOYFmbj

— UN Peacekeeping (@UNPeacekeeping) May 29, 2020

Major Suman served as a military observer in UNMISS from November 2018 to December 2019. While at the mission, she was the principal focal point of contact for gender issues for military observers in the mission. The officer encouraged participation in joint military patrols to maintain gender balance, irrespective of the hardships under extreme field conditions, according to a statement by the Defence Ministry. She visited various mission team sites across South Sudan to integrate a gender perspective into the planning and military activity in the mission. The officer was selected to attend specialized training on Conflict-Related Sexual Violence (CRSV) at Nairobi and participated in various UN forums to demonstrate how a gender perspective can help in protecting civilians, especially from conflict-related sexual violence, the statement read. "Apart from supporting the UNMISS Force initiatives, she also trained the South Sudan government forces on CRSV related aspects. The officer also commanded the UN Peacekeepers Day Parade organized at UNMISS, where she commanded twelve contingents of UNPOL, Military, and Civilians," the Defence Ministry release said India is the fifth-largest contributor of uniformed personnel to UN Peacekeeping. It currently contributes more than 5,400 military and police personnel to the UN peacekeeping operations in Abyei, Cyprus, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Lebanon, the Middle East, Sudan, South Sudan, and Western Sahara as well as one expert to the UN Assistance Mission in Somalia. (With inputs from agencies)