Major Abhilasha Barak conferred with the UN Military Gender Advocate of the Year Award:
Prime Minister of India congratulated Major Abhilasha Barak on being conferred the prestigious United Nations Military Gender Advocate of the Year Award.
- The United Nations Military Gender Advocate of the Year Award is an international honor that recognizes the dedication and frontline efforts of an individual military peacekeeper in promoting and implementing the principles of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 (UNSCR 1325) on Women, Peace, and Security.
- The annual award was created in 2016 by the Office of Military Affairs within the UN Department for Peace Operations (DPO).
- The objective of the award is to incentivize and honor military personnel who successfully integrate gender dynamics and perspectives into field-level peacekeeping activities, ensuring that the unique protection, security, and humanitarian needs of local women and girls are met.
Key Features of the Award:
- Rigorous Selection Pool: Awardees are chosen from a highly competitive pool of candidates nominated directly by Force Commanders and Heads of Mission from all active UN peace operations worldwide.
- Focus on Inclusivity: The evaluation places heavy emphasis on practical field innovations, such as launching mixed-gender patrols, conducting local gender-responsiveness training, and building trusted networks with localized women’s groups.
- Platform for Advocacy: Winning the award provides the recipient with a global platform to share their field methodologies, helping mainstream gender-sensitive strategic planning across all UN military components.
