INDIA'S GENDER - RESPONSIVE PEACEKEEPING

India is the country where a United Nations peacekeeping operation is a core part of India’s foreign policy and a tool of soft power diplomacy. India has over the decades shown its unwavering commitment to global peace, contributing more than 290,000 troops in 50 UN missions. This participation not only underscores India’s commitment to global peace but also functions as a tool of India’s soft power that projects it as a responsible and humanitarian global leader. Peacekeeping is more effective when it considers the different ways that women, men, boys, and girls are affected by conflict. To achieve this, we need to employ and empower more women as peacekeepers, as well as ensure women in conflict zones are protected from harm, can safely access justice and services, and have a say in the decisions that impact them.