Indian Army officer Major Abhilasha Barak, serving with the United Nations peacekeeping mission in Lebanon, has been honoured with the prestigious United Nations Military Gender Advocate of the Year Award for 2025. Major Barak is currently serving with the Indian Battalion as Commander of the Female Engagement Team in the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL). She is also the first woman combat helicopter pilot of the Indian Army. With this recognition, Major Barak becomes the third Indian peacekeeper to receive the honour. Earlier, Suman Gawani was awarded in 2019 for her service with the UN Mission in South Sudan, while Radhika Sen received the award in 2023 for her work with the UN Stabilisation Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The award, instituted in 2016 by the Office of Military Affairs under the UN Department of Peace Operations, recognises a military peacekeeper who has shown exceptional commitment to promoting gender equality and implementing UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security. The recipient is selected annually from nominations submitted by Force Commanders and Heads of Mission across UN peacekeeping operations worldwide. India remains one of the largest contributors of troops and police personnel to UN peacekeeping missions across the world.
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