INTERNATIONAL: DPKO/DFS Guidelines -Integrating a Gender Perspective into the Work of the United Nations Military in Peacekeeping Operations

In 2009, the Office of Military Affairs and the Gender Unit of the Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO) initiated a process to develop for the first time guidelines for Integrating a Gender Perspective into the Work of the United Nations Military in Peacekeeping Operations. The guidelines are intended to enhance the operational effectiveness of United Nations peacekeeping operations by serving as a tool to guide practical translation of existing Security Council mandates on women, peace and security in the work of military components. They aim to support military personnel in recognizing and addressing the security priorities of all sectors of the local population—women, men, boys and girls—in a peacekeeping context. They will further inform the content of training activities targeted at military peacekeeping personnel.
The guidelines, while acknowledging the integrated nature of peacekeeping activities, are designed to focus specifically on the tasks of military peacekeepers within a broader integrated framework. They are presented in three sections, corresponding to the three levels of military engagement in peacekeeping: strategic, operational and tactical levels of military command and operations, in accordance with mandated tasks and working conditions. The guidelines have been informed by contributions of peacekeeping missions, major troop contributing countries and partners in regional organizations. The guidelines will be field-tested for a period of two years, and will be updated thereafter.