UN Praises India's Peacekeeping Leadership

By siliconindia  |  Friday, 30 May 2025, 11:49:23 AM IST

UN Praises India’s Peacekeeping Leadership
  • UN praises India’s leadership in peacekeeping and its role in ensuring accountability for crimes against peacekeepers.
  • India hosted the first-ever Global South Women Peacekeepers Conference, emphasizing women’s empowerment and participation in peace operations.
  • India is the 4th largest UN peacekeeping troop contributor, with over 5,300 personnel deployed globally.
India's enduring commitment to global peace and its critical role in United Nations peacekeeping operations have received high praise from Jean-Pierre Lacroix, the UN’s Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations. Speaking at a press briefing on the occasion of the International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers, Lacroix underscored India’s multifaceted contributions, highlighting its efforts to ensure accountability for crimes against peacekeepers and its leadership in empowering women in peace operations.
During the briefing, Lacroix emphasized the significance of India's involvement beyond its substantial troop and police contributions. "India is a very important troop and police contributing country. But more than that, it is a strong supporter of peacekeeping", he noted. He cited India’s pioneering efforts to push for accountability for crimes against peacekeepers as a notable example of its commitment.
The remarks came in the context of Lacroix’s recent visit to New Delhi, where he participated in the first-ever Conference for Women Peacekeepers held on February 24–25. The event, themed “Women in Peacekeeping: A Global South Perspective”, was organized by the Ministry of External Affairs in partnership with the Ministry of Defence and the Centre for United Nations Peacekeeping (CUNPK). It brought together women peacekeepers from 35 troop-contributing countries (TCCs) from the Global South to discuss challenges and the transformative role of women in peacekeeping.
Lacroix highlighted the dual dimensions of promoting women in peacekeeping: increasing the number of women in missions and enhancing their empowerment through active roles in political processes and peacebuilding efforts. “There is nothing ideological about this”, he stressed. “It’s just realism. Women need to be fully involved and participating in these efforts”.
While acknowledging progress in the number of women peacekeepers, Lacroix also pointed out areas that require further improvement. Formed military units and senior leadership positions for women still present challenges, largely due to limited resources from member states. Accompanied by Acting Military Adviser Major General Cheryl Pearce, Lacroix noted the need for more senior female generals in roles such as Force Commander and Deputy Force Commander. 'It’s a work in progress', he added.
India’s history in advancing gender inclusion in peacekeeping is well-established. It was the first country to deploy an all-women Formed Police Unit to Liberia in 2007, setting a precedent that inspired similar deployments globally. More recently, in January 2023, India deployed an all-women’s platoon as part of its battalion to the UN Mission in Abyei. This marked the single largest deployment of women peacekeepers in recent years.
India is currently the fourth-largest contributor of uniformed personnel to UN peacekeeping, with over 5,300 military and police personnel deployed across missions in Abyei, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Lebanon, Somalia, South Sudan, and Western Sahara.
India's contributions go beyond deployment. During its presidency of the UN Security Council in December 2022, India launched a Group of Friends to promote accountability for crimes against peacekeepers. It also introduced a dedicated database to record and monitor such crimes and the progress in prosecuting perpetrators.
Lacroix’s remarks not only affirm India's pivotal role in global peacekeeping efforts but also spotlight its strategic emphasis on inclusivity, accountability, and innovation in conflict resolution. As the world continues to grapple with complex peace and security challenges, India’s proactive stance in peacekeeping particularly its focus on empowering women and upholding justice serves as a model for the international community.

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