India’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ruchira Kamboj, on Tuesday reiterated to the United Nations Security Council India’s commitment to women empowerment, peace, and security.
Addressing the UNSC, Kamboj said that the Indian government amended the Constitution to reserve one-third of seats in national and state legislatures for women, recognizing their pivotal role as agents of change.
Kamboj was addressing an open debate on “Preventing Conflict-Related Sexual Violence (CRSV) through Demilitarisation and Gender-Responsive Arms Control” at the UNSC.
Kamboj said that India is pursuing a comprehensive approach to combat conflict-related sexual violence.
“This approach includes international collaborations, national policy reforms, and grassroots-level initiatives. At the international level, India has contributed significantly to UN peacekeeping missions and has been very vocal about the need to incorporate gender perspectives into peace and security policies,” she said.
Acknowledging India’s contributions to UN peacekeeping missions, Kamboj said, “Indian female peacekeepers have played a crucial mentoring role in preventing conflict-related sexual violence, and we also take immense pride that Major Suman Gawani was awarded the UN Military Gender Advocate of the year in 2019.”
Kamboj underscored India’s proactive measures in supporting victims of sexual exploitation and abuse, saying that India was the first country to contribute to the Secretary-General’s Trust Fund in support of victims of sexual exploitation and abuse.
She emphasised India’s signing of the voluntary compact on sexual exploitation and abuse with the Secretary-General in 2017.
Kamboj highlighted India’s focus on women-led development during its presidency of the G20, stating, “India had drawn the international community’s attention to women-led development with a focus on women’s empowerment and gender equality.”
She also highlighted the establishment of the G20 Women’s Empowerment Working Group as a significant step in advancing these goals.
(With ANI inputs)
