Q. Why in News/Context -
· Following Defence Minister Rajnath Singh’s proposal last year for an
initiative on ‘women in United Nations Peacekeeping (UNPK) operations’ as part of expanding India-ASEAN
(Association of South East Asian Nations) defence cooperation, India is set
to conduct two initiatives for women personnel from South East Asia later this
year.
· Mr. Singh had made these proposals among others at
the inaugural India-ASEAN Defence
Ministers’ Meeting held in November 2022 at Siem Reap, Cambodia, to
commemorate the 30th Anniversary of India-ASEAN relations.
Q. What is the U.N. Peacekeeping mission?
· The U.N. Peacekeeping mission is a joint effort between the Department
of Peace Operations and the Department of Operational Support, and aims to
assist host countries to transition from situations of conflict to peace.
· The U.N. began its Peacekeeping efforts in 1948 when it deployed military
observers to West Asia. The Peacekeeping mission’s role was to monitor the
Armistice Agreement between Israel and its Arab neighbours.
· U.N. Peacekeepers provide security
as well as political and peace building support to conflict-ridden
countries.
The three basic principles that guide
U.N.’s Peacekeeping missions are:
ü
Consent of the parties
ü
Impartiality
ü Non-use of force
except in self-defence and defence of the mandate
Q. Who are the ‘Blue Helmets’?
· Blue Helmets are the military personnel of the U.N. that work alongside
the U.N. Police and civilian colleagues to promote “stability, security, and peace processes”. The personnel get the
name from the iconic blue helmets or berets they wear.
· All military personnel under Blue Helmets are members of their national
armies first who are seconded to work under the U.N. command.
· Currently, there are more than 70,000 military personnel enlisted as
Blue Helmets. African and Asian countries outnumber their western counterparts
in contributing soldiers to Blue Helmets.
Q. What are the responsibilities
of U.N. military personnel?
U.N. military personal can be tasked with:
·
Protecting civilians
and other U.N. personnel
·
Monitoring disputed
borders
·
Observing peace
processes in post-conflict areas
·
Providing security in
conflict zones
·
Providing security
during elections
·
Assisting in-country
military personnel with training and support
· Assisting ex-combatants in implementing the peace agreements
Challenges:
·
Peacekeeping
continued to face the performance issue.
·
Peacekeepers often go
where no one else is prepared to go and they put their life at risk every day.
·
Difficulty in coping
with changing nature of armed conflicts.
·
Operations to be
carried out in different terrains.
· India has contributed
approximately 2,75,000 troops to peacekeeping missions so far and 159 Indian
Army soldiers have lost their lives across the globe.
· In 2007, India became the first country to deploy
an all-women contingent to a U.N. Peacekeeping mission.
· India has deployed
Female Engagement Teams in United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in
the Democratic Republic of the Congo and United Nations Interim Security Force
for Abyei, which is the second largest
women contingent after Liberia. India has also deployed Women Military
Police in United Nations Disengagement Observer Force and women staff officers
and military observers in various missions.
· Despite its presence
in several countries as part of the Peacekeeping missions, India has routinely
expressed its displeasure at a similar mission headquartered in Srinagar and
Islamabad.