The award, announced by UN Secretary-General António Guterres, followed a global voting process among UN personnel.
Indian Army Major Swathi Wins UN Award for Pioneering Gender-Inclusive Peacekeeping
Major Swathi Shanthakumar, an Indian Army officer from the Corps of Electronics & Mechanical Engineers, has won the prestigious UN Secretary-General's Award 2025 in the Gender Category.
She is currently serving with the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) and has got recognition for her landmark project, 'Equal Partners, Lasting Peace', which focuses on advancing women-led community engagement in conflict zones.
Leading India's first all-woman military engagement team, Major Swathi played a crucial role in building trust with local communities where women peacekeepers were previously unfamiliar.
Under her leadership, the team conducted extensive foot, river, and air patrols to reach remote areas, facilitating a safer environment for over 5,000 women. "When we first arrived, women were reluctant to engage... Now they approach us on their own and share their stories," Major Swathi said in a video message.
The award, announced by UN Secretary-General António Guterres, followed a global voting process among UN personnel.
Major Swathi, an engineering alumna of New Horizon College who previously worked at IBM, is the first in her family to join the services.
Her father, Shantha Kumar, expressed immense pride, noting that she is expected to return to India in February to train young cadets.
Source: Times of India
