INDIA’S EXPANDING GENDER FOOTPRINT IN PEACEKEEPING

NEWS

• India plans to induct women soldiers into the Territorial Army—an unprecedented step toward gender inclusion in defence.
• This aligns with global momentum following the 2025 Conference on Women Peacekeepers hosted in New Delhi, coinciding with the 25th anniversary of UNSC Resolution 1325.

INDIA’S PEACEKEEPING LEGACY

Key Milestones

• 1953: First UN deployment—medical personnel to Korea.
• 1960s: Women medical officers in the Congo.
• 2007: World’s first all-female Formed Police Unit in Liberia.
• 2025: Women’s platoon sent to Sudan’s Abyei region.

Significance

• India’s approach rooted in non-violence, solidarity, and South-South cooperation.
• CUNPK (Delhi) trains 12,000+ peacekeepers annually, including courses for women peacekeepers.

HOW WOMEN TRANSFORM PEACEKEEPING

Operational Impact

• Improve community engagement, trust-building, and access to vulnerable groups.
• Increase reporting of gender-based violence.
• Enhance conflict resolution and humanitarian outreach.

Evidence

• Peace processes with women show:
  • 64% lower chances of failure
  • 35% higher probability of peace lasting 15+ years

Indian Examples

• Col. Neha Khajuria’s educational initiatives in Congo.
• Kiran Bedi’s pioneering leadership in UN policing.

NEED TO RETHINK WOMEN’S ROLES

Key Concerns

• Persisting masculine, hierarchical culture in security forces.
• Risk of women being used symbolically for efficiency without structural reform.
• Feminist critiques warn of reinforcing militarised gender norms.

INDIA’S GLOBAL LEADERSHIP VS DOMESTIC GAPS

Challenges at Home

• WPS Action Plan implementation remains slow.
• Women’s Reservation Bill pending operationalisation.
• India ranks 151 globally in women’s economic participation.
• Gender-based violence and workplace biases persist.

WAY FORWARD: ENSURING MEANINGFUL PARTICIPATION

Reform Priorities

• Strengthen domestic gender equality legislation.
• Address structural biases within defence institutions.
• Move beyond token deployments to empowering local women in conflict zones.
• Promote context-sensitive, Global South–led models of peacekeeping.