United Nations, Oct 30: With women making up only four per cent of civilian police in UN Peacekeeping Missions, a senior UN official has appealed to member states to assign more women police and military personnel to international forces. "We need to lead by example," Under-Secretary-General Jean-Marie Guihenno of the Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO) told the Security Council in an open meeting on women and peace and security. "DPKO often finds itself in the awkward position of advocating for more women in National Police Forces than it has in its own ranks."

Guihenno urged member governments to recommend men and women with experience in gender-based crimes "to help us address the high rates of violence against women that are common in post-conflict situations" and noted that HIV/AIDS policy officers were deployed in four field missions. DPKO has expanded its recruiting by targeting women`s associations. As a result, "in the 15 peacekeeping missions, women currently represent one-third of all professional staff" and more would be recruited in the coming year, he said.

Bureau Report