Enhancing participation of Vietnamese female police officers in UN peacekeeping operations
WVR - On June 12 in Hanoi, the Ministry of Public Security in partnership with UN Women hosted an international forum titled “Enhancing the participation of female police officers in United Nations peacekeeping operations - Global perspectives and Vietnam’s contribution”.
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| International forum titled “Enhancing the participation of female police officers in United Nations peacekeeping operations - Global perspectives and Vietnam’s contribution” on June 12 in Hanoi. (Source: UN Women) |
The forum welcomed high-level officials, including Senior Lieutenant General Le Quoc Hung, Deputy Minister of Public Security; UN Under-Secretary-General for peace operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix; UN Police adviser and Director of the Police Division at the UN Department of peace operations Faisal Shahkar; and Acting UN Resident Coordinator in Vietnam Angela Pratt; ambassadors and senior military and police officials in Vietnam.
In his opening remarks at the forum, Senior Lieutenant General Le Quoc Hung, Deputy Minister of Public Security, stated: “According to the UN Women Report (2023), the proportion of women in global peacekeeping police forces remains at only around 10%. Meanwhile, the target is to raise this figure to at least 25% by 2028. This reflects the persistent institutional, social, and organizational barriers to fully unlocking the potential and role of female officers in this field. In this context, the Ministry of Public Security of Vietnam has proactively implemented policies and strategies to enhance the participation of female People's Police officers in UN peacekeeping operations not only as a demonstration of our commitment to international obligations, but also as a reflection of Vietnam’s forward-looking, human-centered, and modern approach to security and global integration”.
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| Senior Lieutenant General Le Quoc Hung, Deputy Minister of Public Security. (Source: UN Women) |
In his part, UN Under-Secretary-General for peace operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix expressed his appreciation for Vietnam's active contributions to UN peacekeeping operations, as well as Vietnam's commitment to promoting the goal of increasing the participation of women, especially female police officers, in peacekeeping forces.
Since 2014, Vietnam has made remarkable progress as a troop- and police-contributing country to UNPKOs by deployingnearly 1,100 military and police personnel, with women accounting for approximately 16 per cent. Since 2023, Ministry of Public Security has deployed police officers including Peacekeeping Police Unit No. 1-comprised of 180 trained officers, 35 of whom are women (19.4%). Additionally, 5 of the 15 Vietnamese police deployed to UN Mission in South Sudan, UN Interim Security Force for Abyei, and UN headquarters are women.
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| UN Under-Secretary-General for peace operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix at the forum. (Source: UN Women) |
The forum explored global trends and national initiatives to promote meaningful participation of women in peace operations. Discussions highlighted insights from senior Vietnamese officials, representatives of UN agencies, diplomatic missions, and peacekeepers with first-hand deployment experience. The forum also assessed existing policy gaps and proposed concrete solutions to increase the participation of female officers in UN peacekeeping operations.
“The inclusion of uniformed women is not only a matter of equity but of operational excellence,” noted Ms. Angela Pratt in her opening remarks.
“Vietnam has exceeded the global benchmark for the deployment of policewomen to UN peacekeeping. We urge Vietnam to further scale up its efforts, including in leadership roles and mission-critical functions”, she added.
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| Acting UN Resident Coordinator in Vietnam Angela Pratt. (Source: UN Women) |
The forum reconfirmed Vietnam’s commitment to implement its first National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security (2024–2030) and contributes to the global agenda under the UN Pact for the Future, which calls for the full, equal, and meaningful participation of women in all aspects of peace operations.
UN Women and the UN in Vietnam reaffirmed their commitment to supporting Vietnam’s peacekeeping ambitions, including through technical assistance, capacity development, and accessing to funding opportunities such as the Elsie Initiative Fund.
The forum concluded with a strong call for accelerating gender-responsive leadership, institutional reforms, and policy coherence to advance gender equality in peace and security.
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| The forum concluded with a strong call for accelerating gender-responsive leadership, institutional reforms, and policy coherence to advance gender equality in peace and security. (Source: UN Women) |
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