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Women in Peace Operations

    • Roma
    • 13 February 2018

          Women have a growing role in the armed forces, in the general sector of security and in peacekeeping operations. The issue of gender – of the role and power of women – will figure prominently on the agenda of the upcoming G7 meeting in Canada. Clearly, Italy’s commitment during the Taormina G7 and its efforts to keep the spotlight on the discussion of gender equality in international settings played a key role in ensuring this political success.

          Canadian Defense Minister Harjit Singh Sajjan, who was guest of honor at the Aspen Initiative for Europe’s roundtable discussion on gender equality, also considers this issue a key political objective. The aim over the next ten years is to increase women’s participation in military, security and peacekeeping sectors to 25%: a sort of point of departure from which to work toward even more ambitious goals.

          At the same time, it is going to be necessary to strengthen the network created to boost women’s roles in military operations and in peacekeeping processes, where they have already proved so efficient and productive. Another strategic objective is to raise the number of women in command positions, both within the armed forces and in key ministerial and high-level government positions.

          Many participants at the event expressed the opinion that Canada, which recently approved its Second National Action Plan, provides an indisputable model for policies aimed at closing the gender gap. It is to be hoped that other G7 countries follow Canada’s lead. The theme of gender equality needs to reach a wider audience, and the fundamental points to be promoted include closing the male/female pay gap, resolving the age-old issue of how women reconcile work and career, and also fixing equipment problems.

           It was pointed out that, in reality, there is no pay gap issue in the armed forces, and progress has also been made on the front of reconciling work and career. Women are essential in post-crisis operations and in the management of human rights protection. In the innovative sector of cybersecurity, women are gradually gaining skills and securing prominent positions. Moreover, they have a strategic role as mediators in relations with civil society and in the complex relationship between government and society in post-crisis situations. There are still some difficulties in updating equipment, but significant progress has also been registered here.

          The concept of “starting from girls” – i.e. designing educational programs that get young girls involved early on in directing their future aspirations toward this type of career – remains strategic. The numbers of women in the various armed services are increasing steadily, and there are many projects that envisage their additional recruitment; they are reliable and skilled and, in many cases, have even proven themselves capable of participating in “boots on the ground” military operations. The number of women in positions of command – female generals – and in intermediate posts is also on the rise. Within the UN Security Council, Italy’s contribution to strengthening women’s peacekeeping role was highlighted. Particularly important is the role that women play in post-crisis phases, during reconciliation efforts and in the precious and painstaking work of cultural mediation. The overall management of military operations is changing, and women are taking on an increasingly active role. Even in highly delicate theaters such as Afghanistan, good work has been done (both male and female units have been well trained). Terrorist attacks have certainly not ceased, but at least they now stand to give as good as they get, which would have been unimaginable in the era of al Qaeda.

          • Women in Peace Operations
          • Alexandra Bugailiski, Hatjtt Singh Sajjan and Marta Dassu’