Women in peacekeeping

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Women are deployed as police, military and civilian personnel within peacekeeping missions. They work across all areas, from the protection of civilians to political and civil affairs, planning, logistics, and communications.

In 2022, 7.9 per cent of military, police, justice and corrections personnel in field missions were women, a marked increase from just 1 per cent in 1993. Women made up 5.9 per cent of military contingents, 14.4 per cent of police contingents, and 43 per cent of justice and corrections government-provided personnel in UN Peacekeeping missions. The UN continues to advocate strongly with Member States, who are ultimately responsible for deploying uniformed women as part of their contributions.

As of March 2022, 30 percent of civilian personnel in peacekeeping operations were women, and there are more women leading our field missions than ever before, with parity among our Heads and Deputy Heads of Missions.

The 2022 targets for all categories of uniformed personnel have been met or exceeded, except for military contingents, where women continued to be starkly underrepresented and more work needs to be done with Member States. The UN is also committed to achieving gender parity among civilian staff.

Visit our gender statistics section for a breakdown of male and female uniformed personnel working in missions.

Why is it important to have women peacekeepers?

More diverse and inclusive teams means more effective peacekeeping. Women peacekeepers often have greater access to communities and serve as role models, inspiring local women to participate in peace and political processes.

Improved operations and performance: Greater diversity and broadened skillsets improve the way peace operations deliver their mandates to protect civilians and build peace by reflecting the communities we serve and unlocking greater resources.
Better access: Gender integrated teams help expand our reach into the communities we serve, particularly with women. We are able to more easily access diverse spaces and situations, improving the way we serve communities.
Diverse and inclusive leadership: Diversity in leadership and teams brings greater perspectives, which aid in decision-making, helping us to reflect the communities we serve and achieve our mandate.
Building trust and confidence: Together, women and men peacekeepers can help build trust and confidence with local communities and improve access and support.
Inspiring future generations of women leaders and peacekeepers: Women peacekeepers can serve as catalysts for change. They challenge a traditionally masculine peacekeeping landscape and serve as role models for women and girls to advocate for their own rights and follow non-traditional paths.
Realizing women’s equal rights: Gender equality is at the heart of the United Nations’ values. UN Peacekeeping must uphold equality and non-discrimination, which are fundamental principles of the United Nations Charter.