[Press release]
![[group photo]](/sites/default/files/2023-10/ap-coe-301-01-53238425030_6e142f4b77_o-1679px.jpg)
Group photo featuring participants of the Korea Peacekeeping Forum for Women's Empowerment in Seoul, Reoublic of Korea. Photo: UN Women/Seungwha Lee
English | 한국어
Seoul, Republic of Korea — Military officials and diplomats from around the world met in Seoul for the "Korea Peacekeeping Forum for Women's Empowerment" to celebrate and support women’s full, equal and meaningful participation in peace operations. The event brought together high and middle ranking military officials, diplomats, and UN staff, affirming the critical importance of the women, peace, and security agenda and promotion of gender equality in UN peacekeeping operations.
As the first of its kind in the Republic of Korea (RoK), the Forum was organized by the UN Women Centre of Excellence for Gender Equality, in partnership with the Ministry of the National Defense (MND) of the Republic of Korea and follows the country’s election as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council for the 2024-2025 term.
As the keynote speaker of the Forum, former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon recounted his appointment of Major General Kristin Lund as UN’s first-ever woman military chief in 2014, who became the UN Peacekeeping Force Commander in Cyprus. Following Mr. Ban’s historical action, more women military leaders were appointed thereafter as UN Peacekeeping Force Commanders.
Former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon delivers a keynote speech at the Forum. Photo: UN Women/Seungwha Lee
The Forum highlighted the crucial role of military men to bring about structural changes in predominantly male-dominated armed forces and UN peacekeeping forces. Speakers of the “HeForShe for Peacekeeping” session Major General Shahadev Khadka, Commandant, Nepali Army War College; Captain Corey Braddock, Chief of Office, Expeditionary Logistics of the USA Coast Guard; Colonel Moon Dongsu; Director, Peacekeeping Operation Center in RoK; and Colonel Hugo T. Lloyd, Chief of Staff, 6th Division, United Kingdom, powerfully made their case as to why having more women in peace operations is necessary and important, based on their own on-the-ground experiences as men in military leadership positions.
Speakers of the “HeForShe for Peacekeeping” session speaking at the Forum. From top-left corner, clockwise: Major General Shahadev Khadka, Commandant, Nepali Army War College; Colonel Moon Dongsu; Director, Peacekeeping Operation Center in RoK; Colonel Hugo T. Lloyd, Chief of Staff, 6th Division, United Kingdom; Captain Corey Braddock, Chief of Office, Expeditionary Logistics of the USA Coast Guard. Photo: UN Women/Park Chan Young
Speakers of the Forum also stressed some of the challenges in attaining women’s full, equal and meaningful participation in peace operations. Recounting their service, Major General Cheryl Pearce, Major General Ingrid Gjerde, and Colonel B. Wood of the Canadian Command and Staff College, spoke about gendered stereotypes that still exist, and made concrete recommendations on how to attract and enable more women to serve and thrive in UN peace operations and to develop their careers.
Women military officers in leadership positions speaking at the forum. From top to bottom: Major General Cheryl Pearce, Major General Ingrid Gjerde, Colonel B. Wood of the Canadian Command and Staff College. Photo: UN Women/Seunghwa Lee
The Forum took place on the last day of the Women’s Military Peace Operations Course (WMPOC), an initiative of UN Women, supported by Member States and the Integrated Training Service of the UN Department of Peace Operations. The WMPOC is a unique training program specifically designed and targeted to prepare selected women military officers for deployment to United Nations Peacekeeping operations.
Group photo of participants of the Women’s Military Peace Operations Course. Photo: UN Women/Chanyoung Park
This year, the course trained over 20 women military officers from 12 different countries, including from the Asia and the Pacific region, and was hosted by MND and the Peacekeeping Operations Center in ROK, in alignment with the government's pledge made at the 2021 Seoul UN Peacekeeping Ministerial. In the final session of the Forum, led by Nicola Popovic, director and co-founder of Gender Associations; and Jen Wittwer, expert from Steorra Consulting, participants shared their training experiences and made their recommendations on effective strategies to nurture the next generation of women military leaders in peace operations. WMPOC participants Colonel Moon Hanok, Deputy Commander of ROK 2nd Engineer Brigade, Republic of Korea; Major Ambreen Jamshed, General Duty Medical Officer of Pakistan Army; Major Halifah Sarkinin, Directing Staff of Malaysian Peacekeeping Centre; and Captain Bolormaa Lkhagvasuren, Assessment and Evaluation Team, Training and Education Department of the Mongolian Armed Forces, engaged in the panel discussions.
Forum participants share their thoughts and experiences during a panel discussion. From left to right: Nicola Popovic, director and co-founder of Gender Associations; Colonel Moon Hanok, Deputy Commander of ROK 2nd Engineer Brigade, Republic of Korea; Jen Wittwer, expert from Steorra Consulting; Major Halifah Sarkinin, Directing Staff of Malaysian Peacekeeping Centre; Captain Bolormaa Lkhagvasuren, Assessment and Evaluation Team, Training and Education Department of the Mongolian Armed Forces; Major Ambreen Jamshed, General Duty Medical Officer of Pakistan Army. Photo: UN Women/Seunghwa Lee
In his speech, Heo Taekeun, ROK’s Deputy Minister of National Defense, emphasized, "Women peacekeepers are the key actors in performing missions by communicating with and contacting women and children at the front lines. Furthermore, for the success of the missions, proactive participation of women peacekeepers by guaranteeing women’s full, equal and meaningful participation, is evermore necessary in all areas ranging from the tactical level to the operational and strategic levels."
The Centre of Excellence for Gender Equality, established with support from the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, plans to sign a memorandum of understanding with the Ministry of National Defense to continue cooperation on the women, peace, and security agenda.
Dr. Jeongshim Lee, Director of UN Women Centre of Excellence for Gender Equality in ROK, and Heo Taekeun, ROK’s Deputy Minister of National Defense speak to the audience at the Forum. Photo: UN Women/Seunghwa Lee
The Centre’s Director, Jeongshim Lee stated, "I would like to emphasize that “empowerment of women” should not be considered just a women’s issue, but it should be recognized, pursued, and honored as everyone’s business—because empowering women in peacekeeping and in all other areas of the society makes everyone safer, happier, and more prosperous. UN Women will continue to uphold its mandate of empowering women and girls everywhere around the world, and we will continue to partner with the Government of the Republic of Korea as well as with partner nations to achieve our mission.”