PeaceK Part

South Africa strongly believes in the involvement and empowerment of women in every aspect of peace, security and development. That finds a robust reflection in the fact that democratic South Africa has one of the largest contingents of women peacekeepers deployed throughout the African continent. Women’s participation in peacekeeping and peacemaking efforts is recognized as a contributing factor to the effectiveness and long-term success of United Nations deployments. The recognition of the importance of the role of women in the context of peace operations is a strong incentive to building women’s capacities within the peacekeeping landscape. It also contributes to the accessibility and credibility of United Nations deployments in local communities.

In that regard, South Africa has been developing the training programmes needed to equip our peacekeepers to deal with the unique circumstances that may develop during peace operations. In 2015, the South African Government, in partnership with UN-Women, launched a training course tailored for female military officers stationed at the South African Army School’s Peace Mission Training Centre in Pretoria. A second training course, co-facilitated by South Africa and Kenya, will take place in Kenya in November.