Abstract
Over the past three decades, United Nations peacekeeping mission troop contributing countries have shifted from the Global North to the Global South. Currently, these countries include Nepal, Rwanda, Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Indonesia, Ghana, China, Morocco, and Ethiopia. By numerous metrics these countries are less peaceful, less democratic, less economically well off, have lower standards of military training and have higher records of human rights abuses than western countries who have supplied the majority of personnel in past years. Sex abuse of civilians by peacekeepers has been rampant on some missions. Prostitution is legal or a legal gray area in many countries now contributing high numbers of peacekeepers. For these personnel, transactional sex is normalized. Women make up less than three percent of UN peacekeepers despite militaries’ efforts to boost female recruitment. In many developing countries there are still social and cultural barriers to military participation and especially to deployment on a one year peacekeeping mission. In this qualitative study, twelve military officers, from a developing country, with peacekeeping experience, were interviewed about leadership within their mission. Insights emerge into the thoughts and actions of peacekeepers, both men and women, and how they view the performance of those in higher leadership roles on a range of issues. This paper looks at women’s issues and proposes solutions to enhance the experience for female peacekeepers and to aid in safeguarding the welfare of citizens, particularly women, for whom the personnel are there to protect.
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
2026 Special Focus—Organization in Uncertain Worlds
KEYWORDS
United Nations Peacekeeping, Complexity Leadership, Intercultural Leadership, Women’s Issues, Organizational Leadership
