India’s commitment to the women, peace, and security agenda was underscored by its Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ruchira Kamboj, who articulated the country’s comprehensive approach to addressing conflict-related sexual violence, emphasising the nation’s dedication to international collaborations, national policy reforms, and grassroots initiatives.
The top Indian diplomat, Kamboj, was addressing an open debate on “Preventing Conflict-Related Sexual Violence through Demilitarisation and Gender-Responsive Arms Control” at the UN Security Council on Wednesday.
Kamboj began by affirming India’s multifaceted approach, stating, “Our nation’s dedication to the women peace and security agenda is demonstrated through a comprehensive approach to combating 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 added.
Notably, the UNSC annual open debate on CRSV provides an opportunity for the member states to reflect on emerging themes associated with the systematic use of sexual violence by state and non-state actors as a tactic of war, torture, and terrorism in armed conflicts.
Acknowledging India’s contributions to UN peacekeeping missions, Kamboj proudly mentioned, “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.”

She also noted the crucial role played by Indian female peacekeepers in mentoring and preventing conflict-related sexual violence.
Furthermore, Kamboj highlighted India’s proactive measures in supporting victims of sexual exploitation and abuse, saying, “India was also the first country to contribute to the Secretary-General’s Trust Fund in support of victims of sexual exploitation and abuse.” She said that the significance of India’s signing of the voluntary compact on sexual exploitation and abuse with the Secretary-General in 2017.-TIN Bureau