A Brazilian peacekeeper serving in the Central African Republic has been selected to receive the United Nations Military Gender Advocate of the Year Award.

Read the story on: https://medium.com/unpeacekeeping/brazilian-female-peacekeeper-wins-united-nations-military-gender-advocate-of-the-year-award-5905f4399526

Angelina Jolie, Special Envoy of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), addressed the 2019 United Nations Peacekeeping Ministerial meeting on the theme of “Uniformed Capabilities, Performance and Protection”.

Read the speech on: https://medium.com/unpeacekeeping/angelina-jolie-unhcr-special-envoy-speaks-at-un-peacekeeping-ministerial-4d08674ffcea

From children living in fear of cattle rustlers in South Sudan to families fleeing violent armed groups in the Central African Republic, trafficked small arms are devastating livelihoods and displacing communities.

We are working to save lives & build a safer, more secure world by helping prevent armed conflict & mitigating its impact. On the ground, our peace operations are deepening their support to governments on small arms control.

https://medium.com/unpeacekeeping/building-peace-in-societies-affected-by-small-arms-160c2b9f08e9

Gender equality and women’s rights are fundamental to global progress on peace and security, human rights and sustainable development. We can only re-establish trust in institutions, rebuild global solidarity and reap the benefits of diverse perspectives by challenging historic injustices and promoting the rights and dignity of all.

Read the story on: https://medium.com/unpeacekeeping/gender-equality-and-womens-rights-are-fundamental-to-global-progress-on-peace-and-security-a991757942dc

“There should be no mistake. Promoting the protection of civilians in armed conflict is no sideshow to the [Security] Council’s mandate for ensuring international peace and security; it is central to it. The ultimate aim of the Council’s work is to safeguard the security of the world’s people, not just the States in which they live. Clearly, faced with the disproportionate toll that modern conflict takes on civilians, the protection of individuals should be a primary consideration in the Council’s activities.”

Read the story on: https://medium.com/unpeacekeeping/20-years-of-prioritizing-the-protection-of-civilians-90a2471399ca

Women are rarely given centre stage in the political arena of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Gender specialists within the country’s UN peacekeeping mission (MONUSCO) calculated that women typically receive less than 10% of all air time. In an attempt to carve out a space for women’s equal political participation, MONUSCO’s gender affairs team launched an initiative with Radio Okapi that brought Congolese women into the studio and on the air throughout the 2018 national elections. Through this concerted effort, participation of women in two of its most important political programmes increased to more than 50% and reached an astonishing 93% in another of the station’s weekly broadcasts. Listeners were thrilled.

Read the story on: https://medium.com/unpeacekeeping/uns-radio-okapi-sets-gender-equality-standards-for-media-in-dr-congo-9c53f6346bbd 

Recent peacekeeping missions have proved that supporting the fight against impunity and strengthening the justice sector are effective in engaging politically with stakeholders, not only in post-conflict settings, but also during conflicts. This lays the foundation of a more sustainable peace even before it is achieved.

Read the story on: https://medium.com/unpeacekeeping/strengthening-the-rule-of-law-and-protection-of-civilians-in-the-democratic-republic-of-the-congo-36f7f987c350 

Volunteerism is all about efforts towards improving the life of others and leaving a place in a better condition than it was found. More than one billion people volunteer each year around the world, at home or abroad, including with the United Nations.

Read the story on: https://medium.com/unpeacekeeping/volunteering-for-peace-2c908637a408

UN Peacekeeping held an event earlier today on Gender and Peacekeeping to provide an overview of the progress of the implementation of the women, peace and security mandates in peacekeeping operations and to advocate Member States for their continued support, including increasing women’s deployments into peacekeeping operations.UN Peacekeeping has set a target of recruiting 15% of women as military observers and staff officers by the end of the year, and to reach a goal of 20% female police officer deployments by 2020.

“The number of women deployed in peacekeeping remains too low. We still have a long way to go to achieve parity and implement the women, peace, and security mandates,” said Head of UN Peacekeeping Jean-Pierre Lacroix.

The meeting, which was held on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, was co-chaired by the UK Mission to the United Nations, the Permanent Mission of Romania to the United Nations, and the Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores del Perú.

The General Debate of the 72nd session of the United Nations General Assembly comes to an end on Saturday. Comprising 193 Member States, the General Assembly provides a forum for multilateral discussions on wide ranging topics, including related to peace and security.

Important issues related to peacekeeping were among those discussed by Member States at the highest level this year.

At  the margins of the General Assembly, the UN Security Council held a meeting on peacekeeping reforms chaired by Prime Minister Hailemariam Dessalegn of Ethiopia.

Underscoring the importance of peacekeeping as the most effective tools available to the UN in the promotion and maintenance of international peace, the Security Council welcomed the Secretary-General initiatives to reform peacekeeping. Speaking at the meeting, Secretary-General António Guterres said that UN Peacekeeping remains a highly cost-effective instrument, adding that peace operations should be deployed in support, not as substitute, of active diplomatic efforts. Women in peacekeeping has also been a key topic of discussion this year, including at an event on the implementation of the women, peace, and security mandates in peacekeeping operations and to advocate Member States for their support, including increasing women’s deployments into peacekeeping operations.

The Secretary-General also got together world leaders and regional partners to discuss the implementation of the Mali Peace Agreement, boost efforts to address the deteriorating situation in the Central African Republic, and revitalize political efforts to end the conflict in South Sudan at various events last week.

Continuing his efforts to prevent and end sexual exploitation and abuse in the United Nations and support victims, the Secretary-General convened a special meeting to mobilize high-level political support. In his remarks, the Secretary-General announced the establishment of a “Circle of Leadership” as a means for Heads of State and Government to demonstrate resolve.

Learn more about the 72nd General Assembly: bit.ly/JGBH61