The Award will be given by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres today on the occasion of International Day of UN Peacekeepers.
The recognition of Major Radhika Sen’s achievements has sent a powerful message to aspiring women in the military, both in India and globally. Her story serves as a testament to the invaluable contributions women can make in the field of peacekeeping and the crucial role they play in building a more just and equitable world.
Major Radhika Sen, an Indian military peacekeeper with the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO), has been honored with the 2023 United Nations Military Gender Advocate of the Year Award.
From March 2023 to April 2024, Major Sen served as the Commander of MONUSCO’s Engagement Platoon for the Indian Rapid Deployment Battalion in the volatile eastern region of the DRC. Her outstanding service and leadership in advancing gender equality and upholding the principles of UN Security Council resolution 1325 (2000) on women, peace, and security have earned her this prestigious award.
Guterres commended her efforts, stating,“Major Sen is a true leader and role model. Her service was a true credit to the United Nations as a whole. In an escalating conflict environment in North Kivu, her troops actively engaged with conflict-affected communities, including women and girls. She earned their trust doing so with humility, compassion, and dedication.”
She is the second Indian peacekeeper to receive this award, after Major Suman Gawani, who was honoured in 2019 for her service with the UN mission in South Sudan.
(Author is a Sr.journalist, working for British media with 20 years of experience in covering the east and northeast, with specialisation in Defence and Sports.In her illustrated career she has covered many major events and achieved International and National media awards for Journalism).
