Share of women still low in global peace ops

A quarter century after the UN Security Council first linked gender equality to peace and security, women still make up less than one in ten soldiers and fewer than one in three civilian staff in multilateral peace operations.

- VISMAY BASU @ New Delhi

The 2025 report "Women in Multilateral Peace Operations: What Is the State of Play?" published by SIPRI, finds that while there are signs of progress, parity remains far off.

At the UN, women's participation among troops reached only 8.8% in June 2025, well short of the 12% target set for this year. Women account for 23% of military experts and staff officers, narrowly above the 2025 goal of 22%. Nepal remained the largest contributor of women soldiers, followed by Rwanda, Bangladesh and Ghana. Only one of eight UN force commanders was a woman.