Gender is a central aspect of conflict, influencing its short- and long-term impacts on all populations. Gender-based violence (GBV), particular sexual violence, has become an increasingly common facet of conflict throughout the world, in many cases constituting war crimes or crimes against humanity under the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court. During the armed conflict in Bosnia-Herzegovina in which 20,000 to 50,000 women were raped (ILO), sexual violence was used as a means of warfare and to attack and demoralize entire communities.

The UN Security Council has twice recognized that a gendered understanding of conflict does not imply perceiving women only as victims, but like men also as agents of conflict and peace. In 2000, the Security Council adopted Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security, which recognized “…the urgent need to mainstream a gender perspective into peacekeeping operations” and requested the Secretary-General to “…provide to Member States training guidelines and materials on the protection, rights and the particular needs of women, as well as on the importance of involving women in all peacekeeping and peace-building measures.”

Similarly, in 2008 the Security Council adopted Resolution 1820 on Acts of Violence against Civilians in Conflict Zones, which requested the United Nations to “…develop and implement appropriate training programs for all peacekeeping and humanitarian personnel deployed by the United Nations…to help them better prevent, recognize and respond to sexual violence and other forms of violence against civilians.”

In order to examine the state, impact and long-term effectiveness of gender training for peacekeepers in UN missions, UN-INSTRAW developed a working paper on Gender Training for Peacekeepers: A preliminary overview of United Nations peace support operations. The paper analyzes the strategies and methodologies used to deliver gender training and the training tools and materials that are currently available, as well as new opportunities for research and policy-making.

As the paper emphasizes, “The goal of gender training is to ensure that peacekeepers understand the complexities of a conflict situation, and effectively respond accordingly. To accomplish this, peacekeeping troops should receive gender-awareness training during their pre-deployment program in the troop-contributing country, and when they arrive in their mission. This ensures that gender-training is applied within a context-specific situation.”

Member States hold the primary responsibility for training peacekeepers before their deployment to specific missions. The UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO) has developed training materials for use by Member States in this pre-deployment training, as well as consultations and supplementary training events in various regional and national training centers worldwide.

However, pre-deployment training is dependent on the priorities, resources and policies of troop-contributing countries, which do not often take gender issues into account. Many troops thus receive little or no gender training before arriving at their duty stations. Due to the fact that the majority of UN peacekeeping personnel come from developing countries (Pakistan: 10,173; Bangladesh: 9675; India: 9471), they may face limited resources to provide training in gender issues for their troops.

“Gender training of peacekeepers is part of the broader gender mainstreaming process that UN Missions and DPKO have undertaken in response to such mandates as Security Council Resolutions 1325 and 1820. Other key aspects of mainstreaming process include the appointment of gender advisors to specific UN Missions, an increase in the number of women in peace operations, particularly in decision-making positions, and a growing commitment to delivering gender-awareness training,” stated Nicola Popovic, Gender, Peace and Security Progamme Officer at UN-INSTRAW.

Limited progress in this area is visible. Of the 30 peace operations worldwide, only one is currently headed by a woman, Ellen Margrethe Løj (Denmark), who holds the position of Special Representative of the Secretary-General (SRSG) in Liberia (UNMIL). Henrietta Joy Abena Nyarko Mensa-Bonsu (Ghana) also holds the position of Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General (DSRSG) in Liberia.

Of the 20 active peacekeeping missions, 12 currently have full-time gender advisors (PeaceWomen 2008), who work to provide technical guidance to mission directors in areas involving the participation of women. In addition, current data for this year show that of 77,117 military personnel in UN peacekeeping missions, 1,640 are women (UN DPKO 2008). In 2007, an all-female Formed Police Unit was deployed to Liberia by the Government of India (UN News Centre, 30 January 2007). The team is composed of 103 women who support the work of the Liberian National Police and serve as role models for the women and girls of Liberia in breaking gender barriers.

When they arrive at peacekeeping missions, most personnel receive general induction training. The extent to which gender issues and awareness are included in this training varies from one mission to another, but tends to be stronger in missions that have full-time gender advisers. “Induction sessions on gender are short, ranging from thirty minutes to two hours and touching on only a limited number of issues. To increase the effectiveness and sustainability of peacekeeping efforts, gender units should be established and adequately supported with human and financial resources in all missions,” emphasized Popovic.

Research on the impact of gender training on peacekeeping personnel and their interaction with local communities – in particular women - is much needed in order to indentify the best training tools and mechanisms, as well as other ways of ensuring that the policy commitment to gender equality becomes a reality on the ground.

Visit the UN-INSTRAW Gender Training for Peacekeepers webpage, which includes a global overview of UN peacekeeping missions and peacekeeping training centers, tools and materials such as online resources for training on gender and peacekeeping.

Read “Gender Training for Peacekeepers: A preliminary overview of United Nations peace support operations”:

For more information, please contact: Valeria Vilardo, Communications Assistant, vvilardo@un-instraw.org