INDONESIA: UN Wants RI Police Women In Peace-keeping Missions

UN Under Secretary General for Peacekeeping Operations (PKO) Alain Le Roy praised Indonesian peacekeepers` performance and urged Indonesia to involve police women in future UN missions.

Speaking to ANTARA News at the Jakarta-based UN Information Center on Thursday, he said women peacekeepers` presence was needed because there were always women among displaced people in the UN mission areas.

Le Roy said Indonesia could possibly involve its well-trained police women into the UN peacekeeping operations in the future due to the country`s excellent performance in various UN missions.

Indonesia was currently taking part in three UN peacekeeping missions, namely the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), Congo, and Darfur in Sudan, he said.

The Indonesian battalion in UNIFIL consisted of around 1,400 personnel while, for the Darfur mission, it deployed a dozen of police officers to help protect displaced civilians there, he said.

"They are very professional policemen," Le Roy said.

Regarding the increasing demand of women peacekeepers in the UN missions, the UN highlighted such roles that they could play during the peacekeeping operations, such as "interviewing victims of sexual and gender-based violence, working in women prisons, assisting female ex-combatants during the process of mobilizing and reintegration into civilian life and mentoring female cadets at police academies".

By deploying 1,795 personnel, Indonesia is one of 20 top contributors of uninformed personnel to the UN-PKO.

Nineteen other contributing countries are Pakistan, Bangladesh, India, Nigeria, Egypt, Nepal, Jordan, Rwanda, Ghana, Uruguay, Senegal, Ethiopia, Brazil, South Africa, China, Italy, Morocco, France, and Sri Lanka.

Alain Le Roy has been in Jakarta since Tuesday to participate in the Jakarta International Defense Dialogue (JIDD) and meet with a number of top government officials and chiefs of the Indonesian military and police.

The JIDD itself was officially opened by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono on Wednesday.

Le Roy said he would speak at the forum, attended by representatives from 34 countries involving defense ministers and military commanders, on Friday.