Cross-Cutting Initiatives: Gender 

MINURSO works to ensure the full, equal, and meaningful participation of women in all aspects of its peacekeeping work. To support women’s deployment experience, MINURSO has joined the Pilot Network for Uniformed Women Peacekeepers.  

Women, Peace, Security and MINURSO 

In line with the Women, Peace and Security Agenda established in 2000 and the UN system-wide gender parity launched in 2017, the UN Security Council has requested in its resolutions on MINURSO for the Secretary -General to “seek to increase the number of women in MINURSO, as well as to ensure the full, equal, and meaningful participation of women in all aspects of operations”.   

In this context and with the support of the Troop-Contributing Countries (TCCs),  MINURSO has been working to increase not just the proportional representation of women in the Mission, including among its military personnel, but also to ensure that the Mission provides a safe and welcoming environment for everyone.  

As a result of concerted efforts, the number of women deployed to MINURSO’s uniformed component has increased significantly from 7% in 2017 to 25% by 2025 (as of May). Moreover, two women have served as the Deputy Force Commander, Brigadier General Constance Emefa Edjeani-Afenu (2019 – 2022) and Commodore Faustina Boakyewaa Anokye (2022-2024), both from Ghana. Many more have also held  senior positions as heads of sections, as Team Site Commanders, and as Deputy Team Site Commanders. MINURSO has consistently highlighted their stories through our social media channels to share their experiences and to rightly portray them as the role models that they constitute for current and future generations. 

Please check out some articles where we featured MINURSO women peacekeepers! 

• Una casco azul mexicana encabeza la sección de adiestramiento en el Sáhara Occidental (Unofficial translation: A Mexican blue helmet leads the training section in Western Sahara)
• 《专题报道》执行联合国维和使命无上光荣 — 专访西撒特派团中国籍维和人员袁丽芳 (Unofficial Translation: "Special Report” Carrying Out UN Peacekeeping Missions Is a Supreme Honor — Exclusive Interview with Yuan Lifang, a Chinese Peacekeeper of the UN Mission in Western Sahara) 
•  Nina Machado Figueira

Pilot Network for Uniformed Women 

In 2024, MINURSO joined the Pilot Network for Uniformed Women along with the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) and the UN Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA). The Network is designed to connect and support women peacekeepers from military, police, justice, and corrections and aims to create a supportive environment through peer mentoring, knowledge sharing, and professional development opportunities. The project also provides access to resources and events with peacekeeping experts, ultimately fostering leadership and career advancement among its members. Check out the Network’s video here!