New Delhi, March 7: Major Swati Shanta Kumar of the Indian Army has made the nation proud by receiving the UN Secretary-General Award 2025 for her project “Equal Partners, Sustainable Peace.”
Major Swati served as the Engagement Platoon Commander in the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS). She led a pioneering 20-member all-women team, the first of its kind in this challenging region. Under her leadership, Major Swati and her team not only worked towards peacekeeping but also built trust within local communities. They particularly promoted gender-inclusive patrolling, ensuring that female peacekeepers played active roles in every operation and activity.
In an interview, Major Swati stated, “I recently received the UN Secretary-General Award 2025 for gender-inclusive peacekeeping. This award reflects my team’s efforts, as we were a team of 20 women soldiers from India, participating in a UN mission in South Sudan for the first time. This honor represents the hard work of my team and the guidance from our battalion, army headquarters, and the Indian Army. Even though we were soldiers on the ground, we always received support from the army headquarters in Delhi, which helped us move forward.”
She further explained, “The core objective of the ‘Equal Partners, Sustainable Peace’ project was the work my team undertook throughout the mission. Upon our arrival, we noticed a gap between the community and the UN mission. We began to engage in activities, initiated operational patrols, and reached out to the community.”
Major Swati elaborated on her responsibilities, stating, “My primary duties involved executing operational activities, particularly planning patrols. As a battalion deployed in the UN mission, we conducted various types of patrols, whether short or long-distance. We performed river and aerial patrols, as the terrain in South Sudan is extremely challenging, especially during the rainy season when roads become impassable. This necessitated adopting various methods to reach remote areas. Our actions in the mission are just one example. Thus, we realized the need for greater involvement of female soldiers or peacekeepers in operations.”
She concluded, “Throughout my training and deployment in India, I have adhered to this principle, and our entire training has focused on this direction. Therefore, when we engage with the people during peacekeeping missions, we realize that we are also representing our nation.”
My name is Bhupendra Singh Chundawat. I am an experienced content writer with several years of expertise in the field. Currently, I contribute to Daily Kiran, creating engaging and informative content across a variety of categories including technology, health, travel, education, and automobiles. My goal is to deliver accurate, insightful, and captivating information through my words to help readers stay informed and empowered.
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