India co-sponsors UN resolution calling for greater participation of women in peacekeeping forces

India, one of the largest troop contributors to UN peacekeeping operations, has co-sponsored a Security Council resolution that calls for "full, effective and meaningful participation" of women personnel in peacekeeping operations.

India's Permanent Mission to the UN, in a tweet on Friday, said "India is proud to co-sponsor" the resolution which was put forth by Indonesia.

"We are proud to co-sponsor the UN Security Council Resolution on ‘women in peacekeeping’ that calls for full, effective and meaningful participation of women in peacekeeping operations," the Indian mission said.

"In line with the priorities we (India) have set for ourselves, during our tenure in the Security Council beginning 2021, India will continue to push for greater involvement of women in all areas,” the Indian mission said.

In June, India was elected a non-permanent member of the Security Council for a two-year term beginning January 1, 2021. It will serve as the president of the powerful 15-nation UN body for the month of August 2021. India will preside over the Council again for a month in 2022.

India has a long tradition of being associated with UN Peacekeeping since its inception. The country made history in 2007 when she deployed the first all-women Police Unit in the UN Mission in Liberia.

India is the fifth-largest contributor of uniformed personnel to the UN Peacekeeping Forces. It currently contributes more than 5,400 military and police personnel to the UN peacekeeping operations in Abyei, Cyprus, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Lebanon, the Middle East, Sudan, South Sudan and Western Sahara as well as one expert to the UN Assistance Mission in Somalia.

Over the last 70 years, more than 160 Indian military, police and civilian personnel have lost their lives while serving in UN Peacekeeping Missions around the world, the highest deaths from any troop-contributing country.