UNITED NATIONS, April 11 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Thursday called for more women in peacekeeping missions, saying they make mandates more effective.
"A key priority is to increase the number of women in peacekeeping -- both civilian and uniformed, which is where we need the most improvement. This is not just a question of numbers, but also of our effectiveness in fulfilling our mandates," he told a Security Council debate on women in peacekeeping.
Evidence shows that greater numbers of women peacekeepers leads to protection responses that are more credible and meet the needs of all members of local communities, he said.
Women in patrol units are better able to reach both men and women in areas of operation, accessing critical intelligence and providing a more holistic view of the security challenges.
The presence of women at checkpoints has been credited with promoting a less confrontational atmosphere, and more women in troop contingents is credited with higher reporting of sexual and gender-based violence and lower incidences of sexual exploitation and abuse, said Guterres.
Women now represent more than 13 percent of deployed military observers and staff officers and 9 percent of personnel in formed police units, he said.
