PM Modi congratulates Major Abhilasha Barak on being conferred UN Military Gender Advocate Award

Major Abhilasha Barak of the Indian Army, serving with the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), has been honoured with the UN Military Gender Ad...

What Happened

Major Abhilasha Barak of the Indian Army, serving with the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), has been honoured with the UN Military Gender Advocate of the Year Award for 2025.
The award was presented by UN Secretary-General António Guterres during a ceremony at UN Headquarters on the International Day of UN Peacekeepers (May 29).
Major Barak served as an Engagement Team Commander and Gender Focal Point within UNIFIL, deploying to southern Lebanon in June 2025. She executed a record 539 gender-focused field activities in six months — including outreach with women and girls in local communities, capacity-building sessions, and engagement with civil society in a conflict-affected environment.
She is the third Indian to receive this prestigious award and is also notable as the Indian Army's first woman combat helicopter pilot.
India currently contributes 642 peacekeepers to UNIFIL, making it one of the mission's largest troop-contributing countries.

Static Topic Bridges

UN Military Gender Advocate of the Year Award

The UN Military Gender Advocate of the Year Award was instituted in 2016 and is presented annually on the International Day of UN Peacekeepers (May 29) to a military peacekeeper — male or female — who has demonstrated outstanding commitment to the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 (Women, Peace and Security). The award recognises peacekeepers who have actively promoted gender perspectives in their operational work: protecting civilians, engaging with local communities (particularly women and girls), and mainstreaming gender considerations into mission activities. India has now produced three recipients of this award.

Award instituted: 2016.
Presented annually on International Day of UN Peacekeepers (May 29).
Basis: outstanding contribution to implementing UNSC Resolution 1325.
Major Barak: third Indian to receive the award; 2025 recipient.
Previous Indian recipients: Sgt. Major Asha Rao (2019) and others.
Record: 539 gender-focused field activities in 6 months of deployment.

Connection to this news: The award directly recognises Major Barak's operational gender mainstreaming work in UNIFIL, making it both a recognition of individual excellence and a validation of India's broader commitment to the Women, Peace and Security agenda in UN peacekeeping.

United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL)

UNIFIL is a UN peacekeeping mission established in 1978 by UN Security Council Resolutions 425 and 426, initially to confirm Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon and restore peace. Following the 2006 Lebanon War, its mandate was expanded by UNSC Resolution 1701 to monitor the cessation of hostilities, support the Lebanese Armed Forces' deployment in southern Lebanon, and facilitate humanitarian access. As of May 2026, UNIFIL comprises approximately 7,478 peacekeepers from 47 troop-contributing countries; India is one of the largest contributors with 642 peacekeepers deployed.

UNIFIL established: 1978 (UNSC Resolutions 425 and 426).
Expanded mandate: UNSC Resolution 1701 (August 2006) following Lebanon War.
Current strength: ~7,478 peacekeepers from 47 countries (as of May 2026).
India's contribution: 642 peacekeepers; among the largest contributors.
Other major contributors: Italy, Indonesia, Nepal, Ghana, Malaysia.
Headquarters: Naqoura, southern Lebanon.
Key functions: monitoring Blue Line, supporting Lebanese Armed Forces, facilitating humanitarian access.

Connection to this news: Major Barak's deployment to southern Lebanon (within UNIFIL's area of operations) and her gender-focused engagement with local women and girls occurs in one of the most complex conflict-affected environments in the world, making the recognition particularly significant.

UN Security Council Resolution 1325 and Women, Peace and Security

UNSC Resolution 1325 (adopted October 2000) was the first UN Security Council resolution to specifically address the disproportionate impact of conflict on women and the critical role women play in conflict prevention, peace negotiations, and post-conflict reconstruction. It called on member states to increase women's participation in peace and security decision-making, protect women from gender-based violence in conflict, and integrate gender perspectives into peacekeeping operations. India has increasingly aligned its peacekeeping contributions with the WPS agenda, including by deploying female engagement teams and gender focal points.

UNSC Resolution 1325: adopted October 31, 2000.
Four pillars: Participation, Protection, Prevention, Relief and Recovery.
Operationalised through National Action Plans (NAPs) by member states.
UN peacekeeping's Uniformed Gender Parity Strategy targets 15% female military personnel by 2028.
India has consistently deployed female peacekeepers across UN missions globally.

Connection to this news: Major Barak's award is specifically grounded in UNSC Resolution 1325 implementation — her 539 field activities in 6 months represent the operationalisation of the resolution's participation and protection pillars in a live conflict environment.

Women in the Indian Army

The Indian Army has progressively expanded the role of women in its ranks. Women are commissioned into the Army through the Short Service Commission (SSC) and have been granted Permanent Commission since the Supreme Court's landmark ruling in 2020. Women serve across a wide range of arms and services except for combat infantry roles; however, Major Barak's distinction as the Army's first woman combat helicopter pilot marks a significant milestone in the integration of women into combat-adjacent roles. The Army continues to debate and evolve policy on women in direct combat arms.

Women in Indian Army: commissioned through SSC since 1992; Permanent Commission granted from 2020 (Supreme Court order).
Major Abhilasha Barak: Indian Army's first woman combat helicopter pilot.
Women serve in medical, legal, educational, signals, intelligence, and aviation branches.
Supreme Court (2020) directed Permanent Commission for women in non-combat branches; further expansion in progress.
India's military gender mainstreaming is now recognised at the UN level through UNIFIL deployment.

Connection to this news: Major Barak's dual distinction — first woman combat helicopter pilot and UN Military Gender Advocate awardee — illustrates how India's internal progression on women in defence roles translates into international recognition and soft power.

Key Facts & Data

Award: UN Military Gender Advocate of the Year Award, 2025 edition.
Recipient: Major Abhilasha Barak, Indian Army; deployed to UNIFIL (southern Lebanon).
Role in UNIFIL: Engagement Team Commander and Gender Focal Point.
Achievement: 539 gender-focused field activities in 6 months (June–December 2025 deployment).
India's UNIFIL contribution: 642 peacekeepers (as of May 2026), out of total 7,478.
UNIFIL: established 1978; mandate expanded 2006 (UNSC Res. 1701); 47 troop-contributing countries.
Award basis: UNSC Resolution 1325 (Women, Peace and Security), adopted October 2000.
Major Barak: Indian Army's first woman combat helicopter pilot; third Indian to receive this UN award.
International Day of UN Peacekeepers: May 29 (award ceremony date).