Lt-Gen Azhan (right) receiving the award in Berlin. – BERNAMApic
BERLIN: Malaysia has received an award recognising the participation of women in peacekeeping missions at the UN Peacekeeping Ministerial 2025 forum here.
The Malaysian Armed Forces (MAF) Headquarters said in a statement on Thursday (May 15) that the award recognises the operational deployment and involvement of women peacekeepers from the Malaysian Battalion (Malbatt) under the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (Unifil), which met the targets set by the Uniformed Gender Parity Strategy (UGPS).
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It said Malaysia is among the countries that advocate the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda, adding that 10.5% of the total peacekeeping mission personnel for Malbatt Unifil are women.
"Besides Unifil, the MAF has also deployed women peacekeepers as military observers and staff for Monusco (UN Peacekeeping Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo), Minurso (UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara), and Unisfa (UN Interim Security Force for Abyei)," the statement read.
The MAF said the award recognises Malaysia’s contribution to upholding international peace and security on the global stage.
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Other recipients are Fiji, Guatemala, Kenya, Malawi, Mongolia and Tanzania.
MAF Headquarters chief of staff Lt-Gen Datuk Azhan Md Othman and military adviser to the Permanent Mission of Malaysia to the UN, Colonel Shamsuri Noordin, attended the awards ceremony.
On Wednesday (May 14), Defence Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin reaffirmed the country’s continued commitment to supporting the WPS agenda in line with the UGPS. – Bernama
