Major Suman Gawani, an Indian Army officer and a Military Observer formerly deployed with the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), will receive the 2019 United Nations Military Gender Advocate of the Year Award along with Brazilian Navy officer Commander Monteiro de Castro Araujo. Major Suman Gawani is also the first Indian peacekeeper to win the prestigious award.


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Major Suman was commissioned into the Army Signal Corps in 2011 after graduating from the Officers Training Academy, Chennai. Major Suman, a native of Pokhar village in Uttarakhand's Tehri Garhwal, completed her schooling in Uttarkashi. She holds a Bachelor of Education from the Government Post Graduate College in Dehradun, Uttarakhand India. She also has a telecommunication engineering degree from Military College of Telecommunication Engineering (MCTE), Mhow in Madhya Pradesh.



Reacting to the award, the Indian Army Major stated, "Whatever our function, position or rank, it is our duty as peacekeepers to integrate an all-genders perspective into our daily work and own it, in our interactions with colleagues as well as with communities."


During her tenure with the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), Major Suman trained over 230 UN Military Observers on conflict-related sexual violence. She also ensured the presence of women military observers in each of the UNMISS's team sites. Major Suman also trained South Sudanese government forces and helped them to launch their action plan on conflict-related sexual violence.


Major Suman and Commander Monteiro will receive the 2019 United Nations Military Gender Advocate of the Year Award during an online ceremony presided over by United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres marking the International Day of UN Peacekeepers on May 29, 2020.


Indian Army has been taking part in UN peacekeeping operations since 1950. Units and troops of the Indian Army have been part of 49 UN Missions with over 1,95,000 troops having served in various parts of the world. Presently, India is ranked as the third largest troop contributor to the UN peacekeeping missions.