In early summer 2024, Squadron Leader Sharon Mwinsote Syme of Ghana ventured into sector North of Abyei, a disputed region between Sudan and South Sudan where she was deployed as a military gender advocate with the UN Interim Security Force in Abyei ( UNISFA ).
There, alongside civilian gender units, Ms. Syme met a group of local community members - both men and women. Partway through, she realised something was different.
"The women were not talking," she told UN News. "They were very quiet."
Then she remembered that local cultural norms dictated women do not speak in public.
"We are women like you. We want to be able to help, but we don't know how we can help you," she told them in a separate meeting. "Can you please tell us what your problem is so we can see how we can help?"
It is for this sort of work founded in community trust building and a relentless belief in the importance of gender perspectives and empowerment in peacekeeping, that the UN will honour two exceptional women peacekeepers on Thursday as part of International Peacekeepers' Day .
Ms. Syme is this year's winner of the UN Military Gender Advocate of 2024 Award.
"[Ms. Syme's] dedication has not only improved the effectiveness of UNISFA 's operations but also ensured that the mission is more reflective of and responsive to the communities it serves," said Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix .
The other honouree is Chief Superintendent Zainab Mbalu Gbla of Sierra Leone who has been named Woman Police Officer of the year for her work with UNISFA.
"Chief Superintendent Gbla embodies the work of the United Nations to improve lives and shape futures," said Mr. Lacroix.
Gender and peacekeeping
The UN Woman Police Officer of the Year Award was established in 2011 and the UN Military Gender Advocate of the Year Award was first presented five years later.
Both awards recognize peacekeepers whose work has substantially advanced the integration of gender perspectives and empowerment into peacekeeping.
In 2000, the Security Council passed a resolution which affirmed the essential role women play in peacebuilding, peacekeeping and humanitarian responses. Since then, the United Nations has worked to fully integrate gender perspectives into peacekeeping.
According to Ms. Syme, applying gender perspectives should be a "daily task" for all peacekeepers.
"We need to understand the gender dynamics within our area of operation, otherwise, we might not be able to have the right intervention, we might not be able to carry out the right activities," she said.
Intergenerational legacy
Ms. Gbla experienced the impact of peacekeeping herself as a civilian in Sierra Leone in the wake of a war that ravaged her country.
"I saw people coming from different parts of the world just to bring peace to my country… That's why I told myself that one day I'd love to be a peacekeeper - to help other people, to return the favour," Ms. Gbla told UN News.
As a UNISFA gender officer, not only did she create a school programme and female mentorship network where none had existed before, she also worked diligently to ensure that learning was fun, incorporating performing arts and visual aids.
"[The women of Abyei] are ready to work, they are ready to do things for themselves if peace allows them. The children are ready to go to school, if peace allows them," she said.
A health campaign in Abyei
Ms. Syme's meeting with the women of Sector North was the beginning of an enormously successful health campaign in the region which discussed harmful practices such as child marriage and female genital mutilation, the two issues which the community women had identified.
The campaign engaged both men and women, and Ms. Syme said that she was deeply impressed and moved by the response of the male leaders who, through the campaign, realized the harm that practices of child marriage and female genital mutilation had caused.
"[The leaders] promised that they are going to revise these cultural practices so that going forward, they will not do it again," Ms. Syme said.
This campaign happened in June 2024 and has driven Ms. Syme's work since then, work which includes training over 1,500 UNISFA officials in gender-responsive peacekeeping.
"It has motivated me," Ms. Syme said. "It has motivated me a lot."
The future of peacekeeping through gender
Both Ms. Syme and Ms. Gbla will receive their awards on International Peacekeeping Day. This year, Member States and UN officials will be asked to consider the future of peacekeeping.
For both Ms. Syme and Ms. Gbla, the future of peacekeeping and security cannot be disentangled from gender perspectives and empowerment.
"If you don't know the gender dynamics of the area, if you don't know who is in charge, if you don't know what will benefit who…you may think you are providing security, but you are not really providing security," Ms. Syme said.
Ms. Gbla, in discussing her award, paid homage to all the women who wear a UN uniform, underlining their tireless work in the pursuit of peace.
"Each of us [women] faces unique challenges in our respective missions, yet our collective goal remains the same - to foster peace and protect the vulnerable."
