Explained: Who Is Major Radhika Sen, Set To Receive UN Gender Advocate Award?

India’s Permanent Ambassador to the United Nations (UN), Ruchira Kamboj, recently took to X to announce that Indian woman peacekeeper Major Radhika Sen will be awarded a prestigious military gender advocate award by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on May 30, the day marking the International Day of UN Peacekeepers.

Here’s everything we know about Radhika Sen:

Sen was born in Himachal Pradesh in 1993. She initially pursued Biotech engineering and graduated in the subject. However, while studying for a Master’s degree at IIT Bombay, she decided to join the Indian Army.

In March 2023, she joined the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) and worked there until April 2024. There, she served as commander of MONUSCO’s engagement platoon for the Indian Rapid Deployment Battalion (INDRDB).

Interestingly, she is the second Indian peacekeeper to receive this award. In 2009, Major Suman Gawani was awarded the same for her service with the UN mission in South Sudan.

More About the Award:

This prestigious award, established in 2016, honors the exceptional dedication of individual military peacekeepers in advancing gender equality within peacekeeping missions. This accolade aligns with the principles outlined in UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on women, peace, and security. The recipient is selected from nominees put forward by force commanders and mission heads from all UN peace operations, according to UN peacekeeping officials.

‘True leader and role model’: UN Chief

UN Secretary-General António Guterres lauded Sen for her work, describing her as a “true leader and a role model.” “Her service was a true credit to the United Nations as a whole,” he said. In response, Sen asserted that the “award was special to her” and gave recognition to the “hard work” put in by all peacekeepers working in the “challenging environment” of the DRC. “Gender-sensitive peacekeeping is everyone’s business, not just us women. Peace begins with all of us in our beautiful diversity,” she told PTI.