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Major Abhilasha Barak Wins UN Military Gender Advocate Award

Kumari Sonali

Major Abhilasha Barak Wins UN Military Gender Advocate Award:

Major Abhilasha Barak, an Indian peacekeeper serving with the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), has been named the recipient of the 2025 UN Military Gender Advocate of the Year Award.

  • She will be honoured at the UN Headquarters during the commemoration of the International Day of UN Peacekeepers, observed every year on 29th May to honour the service and sacrifice of UN peacekeepers.
  • Major Abhilasha Barak is serving with the Indian Battalion in UNIFIL as the Commander of the Female Engagement Team (FET).
  • UNIFIL is a UN peacekeeping mission deployed in Lebanon, with India contributing 642 personnel to the mission.
  • She has been honoured for outreach and community engagement with women and adolescent girls, along with gender sensitisation training for peacekeepers.
  • She is also the first woman combat helicopter pilot of the Indian Army, adding to the significance of the award.
  • She is the third Indian recipient after Major Suman Gawani (2019) and Major Radhika Sen (2023), reflecting India’s strong role as one of the largest troop and police contributors to UN peacekeeping missions.
  • The UN Military Gender Advocate of the Year Award was created in 2016 by the Office of Military Affairs under the Department for Peace Operations.
  • The award recognises military peacekeepers who best integrate a gender perspective into peacekeeping activities and promote the principles of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security.