On 16 June, the Department of Peace Operations (DPO) organized a high-level event in New York, co-hosted by the governments of Canada, Germany, Uruguay and Zambia, to reaffirm commitments and accelerate progress on advancing uniformed women’s participation in peacekeeping.
It brought together troop- and police-contributing countries and contributors of justice and corrections government-provided personnel.
“Gender parity is an operational imperative,” the representative of Zambia stressed. “More inclusive peace operations are stronger.” They have better access to local communities, higher levels of trust, improved information gathering, risk anticipation, and a more effective response.
Since the adoption of the Uniformed Gender Parity Strategy 2018–2028, missions are better equipped to support both men and women. Women’s participation has increased from below 5 per cent to over 10 per cent. These gains are fragile due to financial constraints and persistent structural barriers, especially in military and leadership roles.
Speakers highlighted the need to expand women’s access to all roles, including leadership, by strengthening recruitment, training, and career development pathways at the national level. The representative of Uruguay stressed the importance of exchanging experiences among contributing countries “to learn and improve collectively.”
Participants also emphasized strengthening gender-responsive leadership. [It]“requires more than increasing numbers," said the representative of Cambodia, "It requires institutional accountability.”
Speakers from the UN Office of Military Affairs, the Police Division, and the Justice and Corrections Service of DPO all emphasized the need to create enabling environments, including adequate accommodations, health services, and inclusive workplace cultures.
The representative of Rwanda underlined the importance of conditions that “allow women to serve and lead and ensure they can meaningfully contribute at every level.”
The Network for Uniformed Women Peacekeepers, a key initiative supporting these priorities, is now deployed in all missions, with around 1,800 members from over 90 countries. It strengthens peer support, improves access to information, and elevates women’s voices to inform decision-making. Germany urged Member States to support the network, stressing it “contributes to the success of peace operations.”
With only two years remaining to meet the goals of the Uniformed Gender Parity Strategy, participants highlighted the need to remove the remaining barriers through sustained commitment, partnerships, and concrete action.
It is “not the responsibility of women peacekeepers," the representative of Canada concluded. "It’s the duty of the entire peacekeeping architecture.”
