Role of Women in UN Peacekeeping Operations

Abstract

United Nations peacekeeping is the ultimate global initiative to ensure international peace and security. The peacekeeping missions have been working for decades to ensure stability and reconstruction in the conflict-affected regions. These peacekeeping missions were dominated by male authority and representation until the last decade of the 20 th Century. The study explores the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 adopted in October 2000, which became the basis of gender mainstreaming into peacekeeping operations. UNSCR 1325 (2000) is the first authorized document that identifies the link between gender and peace. The Resolution addressed the role of the women by setting the mandate for the involvement of female peacekeepers in the organization's mission. Furthermore, it demands its member states to act in accordance with the resolution to reach the ultimate goal of gender equality. The study further investigates the role women have played in the peacekeeping missions to facilitate victims of sexual violence and explicitly focuses on the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUSCO). The research looks into the first-ever Female Engagement Team (FET) from Pakistan deployed under MONUSCO and analyses their contributions to the Congolese community, especially women and girls. The Pakistani women peacekeepers are pursuing several tasks under the mission, influencing society positively, and are being praised by the international community. The women-to-women interactions are proven effective for the rehabilitation and reconstruction efforts in the Congo. Lastly, the study identifies the obstacles and struggles faced by the Pakistani women in Congo and within their country due to gender inequality across society and institutions. This study has adopted exploratory research situated within the qualitative research tradition. The study uses both primary, open-ended questions and secondary data.