Agents of Change? Rwandan and Ghanaian women’s participation in UN Peacekeeping

Female military and police peacekeepers are considered a key part of peacekeeping endeavours to support engagement with local women, children and vulnerable people in the host country. They are also critical to the development and implementation of Protection of Civilians strategies and to introducing diversity and innovation into decision-making. While women are expected to support the delivery of the UN’s gender and peacekeeping objectives, the cultural and institutional contexts within which they are deployed are highly variable.

This three-year project considers how female uniformed personnel are trained and socialised as peacekeepers by Troop-Contributing Countries prior to their deployment to UN missions, and examines the intended and unintended consequences that these socialisation processes have on women’s ability to enhance operational effectiveness.

Funded by the Leverhulme Trust (2016-19)