India was among the first countries to recognise the role of women in building “sustainable peace”, said Rajya Sabha member P. Wilson at the UN Peacebuilding Commission on Monday.
Presenting the India Statement, Mr. Wilson, who is leading the Indian delegation at the Commission in New York, said sustainable peace requires “full and equal participation” of women.
“What sets India’s peacekeeping legacy apart is not only the scale of our contributions, but our early recognition of women as indispensable agents of sustainable peace. Long before Resolution 1325, Indian women medical officers served in the Congo in 1960s, marking one of the earliest instances of women serving in UN peacekeeping operations,” said Mr. Wilson, who started his statement with the Tamil greeting ‘vanakkam’.
Mr. Wilson also recounted India sending UN’s first all-female Formed Police Unit in Liberia in 2007 which inspired Liberian women to join police and security forces of their country. He said India has shown through the deployment of women as peacekeepers that they can build trust in communities and “give hope to vulnerable populations”.
“Most critically, they help address gender-based violence and ensure that peace processes reflect the needs and perspectives of all segments of society. They inspire women in conflict zones through example that they, too, can be leaders and peace builders,” said Mr. Wilson, who highlighted India’s investments in capacity-building for women in peace building and highlighted the Centre for United Nations Peacekeeping in New Delhi as a “global centre of excellence for gender responsive training”.
Indian women have been serving in challenging locations such as South Sudan, Democratic Republic of Congo, Mr. Wilson said at the UN Peace Building Commission. “As we look ahead, India remains unwavering in its commitment to the WPS (Women Peace and Security) agenda,” said Mr. Wilson, asserting that India is ready to extend expertise and technology regarding WPS with member countries of the Global South.