General Assembly Security Council

UNSC Briefing on Police Commissioners on

“Contribution of UN Police to Women, Peace and Security Agenda”

[Wednesday, 10 November 2021; 1000 hrs]

 

INDIA STATEMENT

BY

Ambassador R. Ravindra

Deputy Permanent Representative

 

 

 Thank you, Mr. President,

 

       1. At the outset, let me begin by thanking USG for Peace Operations Jean Pierre Lacroix for his annual briefing on UN Policing. 

 

       2. Police everywhere are the most important law enforcement organ and, more importantly, public face of security institutions. People’s faith in police or lack thereof substantially impact upon the security and law & order situation in any society. 

 

       3. Their role is even higher in the situations of armed conflict which this Council deal in. They play an important role in implementation of the mandates generated by this Council. Also the UN Police help in capacity building of the host states, especially in areas such as rule of law and civilian policing. 

 

       4. We appreciate the focus of today’s briefing on contribution of UN Police to Women, Peace and Security Agenda. I also thank UNISFA Police Commissioner Violet Lusala and MINUSMA Police Commissioner Patricia Boughani for their insights from the ground.

 

       5. I take this opportunity to pay tribute to all women and men peacekeepers, including the 14 police officers from India who sacrificed their lives in the line of duty and for their remarkable contribution to the restoration of peace and stability in their respective places of deployment. 

 

       Mr. President,

 

       6. India is also one of the leading police contributors and has deployed close to 3000 Police officers in around 24 UN Peacekeeping operations. In fact, India is the pioneer in this field, being the first country to deploy a Formed Police Unit in Liberia in 2007. At present, around 175 Indian police personnel are serving in UNISFA, UNMISS, MONUSCO and UNFICYP. Indian police officers have served with distinction in each of their assignments, which has also been acknowledged by the UN as well as the host countries. A number of current or former officers of Indian police services are also serving in various capacities in UN missions.

 

       7. India has been an active participant in the deliberations on issues focusing on women empowerment and gender mainstreaming at various UN bodies. India fully supports Secretary General’s call to action for accelerated implementation of the WPS agenda in implementing the "Declaration of Shared Commitments on UN Peacekeeping Operations” and actions on “A4P+ priorities.” We also welcome SG’s "Uniformed Gender Parity Strategy” and are committed to comply with the same so that women’s participation and their role in peacekeeping could be enhanced.

 

     Mr President,

 

      8. The women police officers and peacekeepers play an indispensable role in UN peacekeeping operations, in particular, during high visibility patrols and search operations as well as reaching out to communities where only female police officers are allowed to interact with female members of the community. They are better able to gain the trust of a large but marginalized section of society and help promote gender equality. They also can act as role models by inspiring local women and girls to pursue careers, including in law enforcement.

 

      9. Indian Female Engagement Team (FET) with MONUSCO has been instrumental in enhancing local women engagement in Goma. The Indian FET initiated, organized and provided security for Local Protection Committee meetings, enabling women to share concerns, organize themselves more systematically and allowed the Force to incorporate women’s inputs into operational planning. The information received from women in the community was utilized to focus on patrolling in high-risk areas and to plan civil-military coordination activities based on communities’ needs.

 

     10. Earlier, Indian female formed unit in UNMIL which I talked about helped increase participation of Liberian women in the security sector from 6% in 2007 when they were first deployed to 17% when they left the mission in 2016. This contribution was repeatedly acknowledged by the then President of Liberia and Noble laureate Ms. Ellen Johnson Sirleaf.

 

     11. India’s individual police officers, particularly women officers, have also contributed immensely to UN peacekeeping. An Indian women Police officer Ms. Shakti Devi, who was deployed in the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan, was awarded the International Female Police Peacekeeper Award in 2014 for her contribution in the creation of a Women’s Police Council in Herat, and recently, Major Suman Gawani, deployed with the United Nations Mission in South Sudan [UNMISS] was awarded the UN Military Gender Advocate of the Year for 2019.

 

Mr. President,

 

     12. The contribution of United Nations Police in supporting reforms, restructuring and development of host State police administration and other law enforcement institutions is critical. Women peacekeepers, particularly women police officers, can play an important role in understanding and responding to the specific needs of women in conflict and post-conflict environments, including the need for protection from sexual and gender-based violence. We need to increase the share of women in UN police components. In this regard, I submit THREE specific suggestions: 

 

     13. First, there is a need to identify and resolve the structural problems that prevent increased numbers of uniformed women in both UN and civilian peacekeeping roles. These impediments include logistics, barracks facilities, and related working conditions, especially in difficult security environment. Providing the basic physical infrastructure and safe working environment is an essential imperative to ensure their smooth functioning. 

 

     14. Second, women need to be given equal opportunities. We often see women in leadership support roles, like administrative work. They should be engaged in key roles as well, such as community engagement and outreach.

 

     15. Third, it goes without saying that we need to observe a strict zero tolerance policy towards sexual harassment and abuse. Strengthening the conduct of peacekeepers, through preventive measures such as adequate training and work-place monitoring and reporting mechanisms to address such complaints is key to addressing these issues. Initiatives such as deployment of Gender Peace and Security Advisors to peacekeeping missions would also help in preventing sexual harassment and related violence.

 

     16. Implementation of these suggestions will go a long way in further strengthening the role of UN Police in implementation by Women, Peace and Security agenda and inspire more women to contribute to conflict resolution and peace building missions. 

 

I thank you, Mr. President.

 

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