Ethiopia Vows to Enhance Women’s Participation in Peacekeeping Mission

Addis Ababa January 28/2019 Ethiopia will continue with its commitment in enhancing the participation of women in the military, police and civilian services of the United Nations Peacekeeping,   President Sahle-Work Zewde said.

In her remark on the two-day Preparatory Meeting on Women, Peace and Security that kicked off today, President Sahle-Work said “peace and security will remain to be seen as the male domain excluding the vital contribution of women.”

“Currently, more than 7,500 Ethiopian peacekeepers are serving under the blue helmet, particularly we are very proud that Ethiopia is one of the leading contributors of female peacekeepers with more than 600 of them deployed under the UN Peace Keeping Missions,”  Sahle-Work pointed out.

Recognizing that more needs to be done to advance women peace and security agenda, she noted “Ethiopia welcomes the progress made in mainstreaming the agenda perspective in the works of the UN.”

The president articulated that the collaboration of AU and UN should focus on ensuring the active participation of women and women’s groups in peace processes, conflict prevention, resolution, and peace building activity as well as promotion of women’s human rights.

State Minister of Defense, Lelaalem Gebreyohannes said on her part that Ethiopia has deployed thousands of peacekeepers to the eight missions in which it has participated over the last 24 years.

“This record reflects Ethiopia’s sustained commitment to support the idea that women truly make a difference in successful peacekeeping,” she emphasized.

Stating that Ethiopia has actively been participating in UN peacekeeping operations over the last seven decades, Lelaalem noted “this is a clear testimony of our unwavering commitment to continue playing an active role in peacekeeping in the years and decades to come.”

Women and children are predominantly the direct victims in contemporary conflicts, the State Minister said, and added “so the expanded role of women in peace operation must be reflective of this new reality.”

Ethiopia is one of the major troop contributors to the United Nations peacekeeping mission across the world.

Data show more than a million women and men peacekeepers from 125 countries have served in 71 UN peacekeeping missions over the last 70 years.