UN Women and Korean Government Conduct PKO Training for Asian Female Soldiers

Three-Week Training Including UN Staff Officer Course
Enhancing Peacekeeping Capabilities
Expanding UN Women PKO Personnel

The United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women) is collaborating with the South Korean government to support the participation of female military personnel from the Asia-Pacific region in peacekeeping operations.

On the 23rd, the UN Women Gender Equality Center announced that, together with the Ministry of National Defense and the Korea National Defense University International Peace Center, it conducted a three-week PKO (Peacekeeping Operations) capacity-building training from the 7th to the 23rd for 22 female military personnel from 13 countries in the Asia-Pacific region.

Female soldiers participating in the Peacekeeping Operations (PKO) capacity-building training attended the 2nd Women UN Peacekeepers Forum.
[Photo by UN Women]

This training program is part of support linked to the 4th National Action Plan on United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325, led by the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family. UNSC Resolution 1325 addresses the eradication of sexual violence against women in conflict zones and the expansion of women's participation in conflict prevention and resolution processes.

Additionally, it is one of the five major pledges announced by the Ministry of National Defense at the 2021 UN Peacekeeping Ministerial Meeting in Seoul, aiming to increase the participation of female PKO personnel who play a key role in UN PKO deployment areas.

Last September, UN Women also cooperated with the UN Department of Peace Operations (DPO) and the South Korean government to conduct a similar three-week training in Seoul, marking the first such training in Asia with the same purpose.

This year, in collaboration with the South Korean government, the Korea National Defense University International Peace Activities Center and the Seoul Global Center hosted the following programs for female military personnel from the Asia-Pacific region who are scheduled for future PKO deployment: the UN Staff Officer Course (UNSOC), Leadership and Empowerment Workshops, and the 2nd Women UN Peacekeepers Forum.

Female soldiers participating in the Peacekeeping Operations (PKO) capacity-building training attended the 2nd Women UN Peacekeepers Forum.
[Photo by UN Women]

In particular, the 2nd Women UN Peacekeepers Forum held on the 23rd as the final event of the program was attended by approximately 100 participants, including the Director of the UN Women Gender Equality Center, the Ministry of National Defense International Policy Officer, the President of Korea National Defense University, ambassadors from nine countries to South Korea, military attach?s from six countries, officers from the Republic of Korea and UN Command, the United States Indo-Pacific Command, cadets, and officer candidates.

At the forum, Lieutenant Colonel Tyson Nicholas of the Royal Australian Navy (UN Women Strategic Military Advisor), Jen Whitworth, a Women, Peace, and Security (WPS) expert (UN Women Consultant), and Lieutenant Colonel Lee Seong-yeon (Ret.), who has participated in four PKO deployments and is currently serving as a liaison officer in the Golan Heights, shared their experiences and emphasized the necessity of expanding women's participation in peacekeeping forces in PKO deployment areas.

Lee Jeong-sim, Director of the UN Women Gender Equality Center, stated, “Women, Peace, and Security has become an issue more important than ever,” adding, “We are pleased that UN Women is working alongside the South Korean government in implementing international agreements.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.