Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday advocated meaningful participation of women in peacekeeping operations, emphasising that their unique contribution during missions in conflict-affected areas must be recognised.

Singh’s pitch for gender representation came after India dispatched the single largest all-women platoon of recent times in Abyei, a disputed zone on South Sudan and Sudan border, in January.

Addressing a special commemorative seminar, organised by the Indian Army, to celebrate 75 years of UN peacekeeping, the Defence Minister also called for innovative approaches and enhanced cooperation among responsible nations to ensure the safety and effectiveness of peacekeepers deployed in violence-hit regions to maintain stability, prevent conflicts and facilitate restoration of peace.

He also highlighted the fast-evolving challenges being faced by the peacekeepers as of now and stressed on the need to invest more in training, technology, and resources for their safety and productivity. Singh used the opportunity to reiterate the necessity to make the UN decision-making bodies, including the Security Council (UNSC), more reflective of demographic realities of the world.

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“When India, the most populous nation, does not find a seat as a permanent member of the UNSC, it tends to undermine the moral legitimacy of the UN. Therefore, the time has come for making the UN bodies more democratic and representative of the current realities of our age,” he said.

Externalities

Singh also commended the role of UN peacekeeping operations and explained the enthusiastic global support for such missions through the economic concept of ‘externalities’.

“When there is a conflict, it is harmful to the directly involve actors. Moreover, it has negative externalities for those involved indirectly. There is a plethora of negative externalities that have emanated out of the recent Russia-Ukraine conflict. It has led to food crisis in various African and Asian countries and has fuelled an energy crisis in the world. A conflict at a particular place or region creates ripple effects which adversely impact the whole world. So, the rest of the world becomes a stakeholder in resolving the conflict and to restore peace. This is because peace has positive externality. When conflicting parties restore peace, they benefit in terms of human lives saved, higher economic growth achieved, etc. The rest of the world also benefits as peace fosters stability and encourages economic growth,” Minister said.

In his opening remarks, Chief of the Army Staff General Manoj Pande stated that India has close to 5,900 peacekeepers serving around the world on various peacekeeping operations, including female engagement teams in UN Organisation Stabilisation Mission in Congo (MONUSCO) and UN Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA), besides women staff officers and military observers.

General Pande also underlined the vitality of the UN Peacekeeping amidst the new and complex security challenges which continue to emerge and the readiness of the Indian Army to fulfil the country’s responsibility and commitment to the UN, in close partnership with fellow States.

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