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India’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Harish Parvathaneni, highlighted India’s longstanding commitment to advancing the role of women in peacekeeping and peacebuilding during the United Nations Security Council Open Debate on Women, Peace and Security on June 17, 2026.
Addressing the debate at the United Nations Headquarters, Ambassador Harish noted that India was the first country to deploy an all-female police unit to the United Nations Mission in Liberia, a move that inspired thousands of Liberian women to join the country’s national police force. He added that more than 160 Indian women peacekeepers are currently serving in various UN missions around the world.
The Ambassador said the Centre for United Nations Peacekeeping, established by the Indian Army in New Delhi, has been training female military officers from across the globe since 2016. He also highlighted India’s recent efforts to strengthen women’s participation in peacekeeping through international training and collaboration.
According to Harish, India hosted the Conference for Women Peacekeepers from the Global South in February 2025, bringing together women peacekeepers from 35 countries. In August 2025, India also hosted the UN Women Military Officers Course, which drew participants from 15 countries.
“Our commitment has been recognized in the series of UN gender advocate awards won by Indian Women Peacekeepers in 2019, 2024 and most recently by Maj. Abhilasha Barak in 2026,” he said. “These women peacekeepers were recognized for their role in connecting with local communities, empowering women and implementing women-centric initiatives.”
Harish thanked Colombia for convening the debate and for drawing attention to the critical role women play in building “lasting and sustainable peace.”
He observed that women often bear the heaviest burden during armed conflicts, facing displacement, loss of family members and livelihoods, and, in many cases, sexual violence used as a weapon of war. Such violence, he said, leaves “physical, psychological, and social” scars that endure long after conflicts end.
The Ambassador argued that peace agreements that fail to address women’s concerns remain incomplete and vulnerable. Referring to UN Security Council Resolution 1325, he stressed that meaningful participation by women in peace processes is essential for achieving durable peace.
“Women have consistently been at the forefront of grassroots peace initiatives,” he said, noting that their central role in community life, understanding of local grievances, and position as “caregivers and community anchors” make them effective “mediators” in conflict resolution.
He cited examples ranging from women-led prayer movements in Liberia that helped bring warring parties to the negotiating table to grassroots women’s networks in Colombia that contributed to the development of a national security action plan. According to Harish, such initiatives have helped transform social attitudes and priorities, “enabling eventual, effective peace agreements.”
The Ambassador emphasized that the deployment of women in UN peacekeeping operations remains one of the most visible and impactful components of the Women, Peace and Security agenda.
“They build trust in communities. They give hope to vulnerable populations, particularly women and children,” he said. “They serve as visible symbols of women’s agency in maintaining peace and security. Most critically, they help address gender-based violence and ensure that peace processes reflect the needs and perspectives of all segments of society.”
Harish also underscored the importance of empowering women politically, financially, and socially, arguing that sustainable peace cannot be achieved without genuine gender equality.
Drawing on India’s experience, he pointed to the country’s constitutional reservation of seats for women in local self-governing bodies, which has resulted in more than one million women holding elected positions and occupying one-third of local governance seats.
He noted that the Women’s Reservation Act of 2023 extends similar provisions to India’s Parliament and highlighted the country’s record of women serving in senior leadership positions.
“I am proud to note that we have a distinguished woman as our Head of State. We have had a woman Head of Government, and Speaker of Parliament. The presence of women in Indian armed forces is also showing an upward trend,” he said.
The Ambassador added that India’s women-led development model seeks to make women a driving force of economic growth through digital and financial inclusion, direct benefit transfers, education, skill development, and access to healthcare.
He emphasized that women play a central role in rebuilding societies affected by conflict, noting that communities where women are “economically self-reliant, politically represented, and socially respected” recover more quickly and are better equipped to prevent future violence.
“The road to lasting peace cannot be walked without women,” he added.
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