United Nations: India’s first woman combat helicopter pilot, Major Abhilasha Barak, received on Friday the UN 2005 Military Gender Advocate of the Year Award, recognising her efforts to promote the role and perspectives of women in peacekeeping.
Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who presented the award, said she was “a role model to those you serve, and those you serve with”.
“Dreams do not have a gender, and neither does leadership, courage, or the will to serve humanity,” said Barak, who is deployed in Lebanon, currently the most dangerous UN peacekeeping site.
She added that the award is a reminder that lasting peace can only be built when every voice is heard and every individual is empowered.
Guterres also presented the Dag Hammarskjold award for two Indian peacekeepers who died while serving the UN.
India’s Permanent Representative P. Harish received the awards for Lance Havildar Harbhajan Singh, who was a peacekeeper in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Naib Subedar Sujit Kumar Pradhan in South Sudan.
Assistant Secretary-General Lisa Buttenheim said Barak’s “leadership and innovation have advanced the women, peace, and security agenda across military operations”. About Barak’s work, Guterres said that by building trust with local communities, she helped develop early-warning networks that strengthen the mission’s ability to protect civilians. (ians)
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