MA ZHAOXU (China) said that his country deployed women peacekeepers around the world, including to Libya, South Sudan and Haiti, describing how they were remembered by locals. The main goal of peacekeeping is to forge a political settlement, and peacekeepers must serve this main goal, he noted, emphasizing that this requires the joint efforts of the Secretariat and troop- and police-contributing countries, as well as host States.

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FRANCOIS DELATTRE (France) said global efforts to deploy gender advisers and women protection advisers in peacekeeping missions must continue, adding that “Blue Helmets” must receive the necessary training and equipment. It is well documented that women contribute to the effectiveness of operation across the spectrum, he noted, emphasizing: “No posts should be reserved for men.” Noting that 27 peacekeeping contingents are still without women, down from more than 40, he said it is up to troop- and police-contributing countries to increase their deployment of women. He went on to state that his country’s national army has achieved one of the world’s highest percentages of women representation, and also announced a diversity plan with the three objectives of recruiting more women, retaining them, and promoting diversity in the military.

JONATHAN R. COHEN (You), recalling that his country was the first to translate the women, peace and security agenda into national law, said that increasing the number of women in peacekeeping lies at the heart of improving the performance of peacekeeping operations. Calling attention to his country’s efforts to strengthen the capacities and capabilities of troop- and police-contributing countries, he noted that more than 11,000 women have participated in its peacekeeping training events. He encouraged all Members States to adopt national action plans to enhance the recruitment and deployment of women peacekeepers while addressing barriers to their participation.

Ladies are crucial role activities, but much performs remains to increase the quantity, the guy cautioned

DIAN TRIANSYAH DJANI (Indonesia) highlighted the importance of maintaining a strong national regulatory framework to increase the meaningful participation of women in peacekeeping. Indonesia’s strategy aims at deploying 4,000 peacekeepers between 2015 and 2019, with checklists to ensure the inclusion of women, he said. Noting that more than 3,000 Indonesian peacekeepers, including 86 women, are currently serving in eight missions, he emphasized the essential need for the political will needed to build capacities and pledge more women for deployment. He said that his country’s efforts include the incorporation of gender into the regular curriculum at the Indonesian Peacekeeping Training Centre. The Government is also in the process of deploying a formed police unit, 10 per cent of whom are female, to the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA), he said, adding that 81 officers, almost one third of them women, are also being deployed to various peacekeeping operations. Sound strategy is imperative, given existing structural and sociocultural challenges, including the fact that mission infrastructure is often less attractive to female personnel, he said, also underlining the need for adequate resources to support much-needed pre-deployment training and advanced gender-sensitive equipment, among other things. With like-minded countries, Indonesia will incorporate such perspectives into cost data to be collected and considered in the context of the next troop-cost review, he said. “Investing in women equals investing in peace,” he added.

MARC PECSTEEN DE BUYTSWERVE (Belgium), noting that only 4 per cent of Blue Helmets and 8 per cent of police personnel within United Nations peacekeeping are women, emphasized that this is not enough. Possible solutions include removing obstacles to the recruitment of women and providing good working conditions, such as better medical services, he said, adding that the role of gender advisers is crucial in this regard. Noting that only 8 per cent of his country’s 27,000 active armed forces personnel are women, he said the Government is creating a mixed gender engagement team within the Special Forces, to be ready by 2020.