The United States Police has integrated a gender perspective into their mandates. This way, an effective, efficient, representative, responsive, and an accountable police service is being created that serves us globally. Gender equality is not only morally and legally obligated but an operational necessity so we can address the different needs of the communities we serve.
Framework
Beginning in 2008 with the Guidelines for Integrating Gender Perspectives into the Work of United Nations Police, UNPOL has consistently developed clear guidance on gender-responsive policing in accordance with the Strategic Guidance Framework for International Policing (SGF). The U.N Secretary-General designated this framework as the basis for a system-wide policing doctrine. This framework underlines gender responsiveness as one of the guiding principles in supporting police and law enforcement agencies of Member States.
Furthermore, Security Council resolutions 2185 (2014), 2382 (2017) and 2447 (2018) on policing in peacekeeping and particularly the Report of the Secretary-General on United Nations Policing, S/2018/1183, require the inclusion of gender equality and women’s empowerment (GEWE) principles and the mandates of the Global WPS Index into all aspects of policing activities -- prevention, detection, investigation of crimes and in protection of people and property and public order management.
To give effect to the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda, including promoting and protecting the rights of women and girls in conflict, post-conflict, and other humanitarian settings, UNPOL is guided by the Security Council resolutions 1325 (2000), 1820 (2008), 1888 (2009), 1889 (2009), 1960 (2010), 2106 (2013), 2122 (2014), 2242 (2015), 2467 and 2493 (2019), and 2538 (2020) on women and peace and security and the more recent Declaration of Shared Commitments on Peacekeeping (A4P).
What We Do
The Police Division advances gender-responsive policing through:
Integrating a gender perspective into all stages of police services and law enforcement agencies of UNPOL and Member States
Advancing the full, equal and meaningful participation of women (police and civilian) in all stages of peace and political processes and security system governance.
Protection of women and girls from different cycles of gender based violence, with an emphasis on other forms of marginalization such as displacement, disability, ageism/ youth, minorities, diverse gender identities etc., to eliminate threats to all these categories.
Developing an UNPOL system-wide coordination on police mandates for a gender based cohesion.
How We Do It
Institutional architecture for advancing gender responsive policing
The Police Division Gender Technical Task Force is headed by the United Nations Deputy Police Adviser and gender focal points from all sections of the Police Division, including the Standing Police Capacity in Brindisi and gender experts from the Global Focal Point for the Rule of Law. They offer strategic and technical policy guidance on gender responsive policing. 245 gender focal points and 14 UNPOL gender advisors technically support the Task Force. The GTTF develops the UN Police Equality and Women’s Empowerment Strategy and ensures gender and policing issues are well-analyzed and effectively reflected in all response efforts and feedback mechanics.
Next to the GTTF, the Police Division has a police expert embedded in the UN Team of Experts on the Rule of Law and Sexual Violence in Conflict to support capacity building and offer strategic advice on investigation of conflict related sexual violence. Capacity on Child Protection is also in place to ensure effective analysis of and coordination of children’s protection needs.
Surge capacities on prevent and protect
We invest in technical and financial support to various host-State police forces and this has been fundamental in championing the gender sensitive reforms and developing their institutional potential, espescially for sexual- and gender- based violence.
Specialized Police Teams (SPTs) on SGBV, forensics and community-oriented policing provide surge capacity to national police services in investigation and protection of sexual and gender-based crimes and in restoring and building a relationship of trust with all members of the community, including women and girls. These capabilities ultimately translate to increased access to justice, especially for survivors of SGBV in the respective communities served by UNPOL.
We are also increasingly providing protection capacities to women electoral candidates and enabling an environment for women to participate in peace building processes.
Women’s full participation across the full spectrum of policing functions
Women’s visibility and participation in UNPOL operations, especially in mission areas characterized by strong cultural barriers in terms of how women interact with men, clearly demonstrate that policing is at its best when it fully reflects the community it serves. All policing functions are undertaken by women and men alike – with no functions designated by gender. This understanding of these needs must continue to guide the responses of the host-State police and other law enforcement institutions whose capacities we seek to strengthen.
To encourage more nominations of women police officers, the Police Division, in consultation with Member States, revised the Standard Operating Procedure on Assessment for Mission Service of Individual Police Officers. The Operating Procedure now stipulates that women should make 25 percent of the total nominated candidates, an increase from the previous requirement of 20 percent. Police Contributing Countries who are unable to meet the minimum requirement must provide the Police Division with reasonable grounds for non-compliance and to establish an agreed upon timeline for achieving the 25 percent. To enhance the participation of women members of Formed Police Units, the Revised Policy on Formed Police Units in Peacekeeping Operations includes tougher language emphasizing a need for gender-inclusive units. The Policy establishes that at least 32 women are represented per unit across all functions, including command. These requirements, together with the Police Division’s training project that prepares women candidates for the selection assessment and assistance teams (SAAT) through pre-SAAT, have contributed to UNPOL continuing to exceed the annual targets as set out in the Uniformed Gender Parity Strategy (UGPS).
If you want to stay up to date with the gender statistics, view the Gender Report here.
The United Nations Women Police Command Development Course
The Police Divison has sought to identify, train, prepare and mentor women through the UNPOL Command Cadre in support of the United Nations goal of 50/50 gender parity. The Cadre is composed of Member States' nominated senior-ranking women police officers who fulfill all the requirements for leadership positions such as heads, deputy heads of police components and strategic mid-level managers. The Cadre is prepared within the framework of the UNPOL Women Command Development Course, which was developed by a 22-Member UN Curriculum Development Group.
Seven regional courses were conducted in Addis Ababa, Kuala Lumpur, Dakar, Amman, Brindisi, and Entebbe. A total of 250 women command-level officers representing over 80 Member States have been equipped with requisite skills to successfully undergo UNPOL recruitment process and thrive in leadership roles. Six Cadre members have, to date, served as heads and deputy heads of Police Components in MINUSMA, MONUSCO, UNFICYP (x2), UNMIK, and UNISFA. Several others have encumbered strategic middle-level management positions in UN HQ—Police Division, UNDSS, UN regional offices and field missions such as UNOAU, UNOCA, UNAMID, UNVMC, intergovernmental organizations on policing such INTERPOL, and regional forces/ security mechanisms such as Eastern Africa Standby Force Coordination Mechanism (EASFCOM).
Making sure that there is a meaningful participation of women across all UNPOL functions and roles, especially in senior leadership positions, is a core mandate of the Police Division.
United Nations Police Women Networks
In 2021, the Police Division established its own Women’s Network, a place where women who have existed in UNPOL Components in peace operations can come together. The networks aim to raise further awareness about gender issues, advancing a gender-sensitive work environment, encouraging professional career growth, and promoting women’s full, equal and meaningful participation in all aspects of our shared work. Across UNPOL components, UNPOL Women’s Networks have also played a central role in raising awareness about sexual harassment, including by advising and/ or monitoring reports of harassment, including sexual harassment and relaying institutional guidance on gender parity.
The United Nations Woman Police Officer of the Year Award
Every year since 2011, UNPOL has given the United Nations Woman Police Officer of the Year Award for her exceptional performance to a woman police officer currently serving in a United Nations peace operations. The Award aims to bring international recognition to the contribution of women police officers to the implementation of UNPOL mandates. For over a decade now, the award has showcased the varied and diverse contribution of women police officers. It encourages Member States to deploy even more women personnel to serve in UNPOL components and empowers women police officers to seek international experience and serve in UN peace operations. And it is an inspiration to other women thinking of a career in policing to boot.
UNPOL Gender Strategy and Tools
2024 Policy on Gender‑Responsive United Nations Peacekeeping Operations
The Policy on Gender‑Responsive United Nations Peacekeeping Operations provides a conceptual framework, guiding principles and strategic requirements that ensures that the Department of Peace Operations (DPO) and field missions integrate gender across all asapects of mandates, recognizing gender equality and the Women, Peace and Security agenda as essential.
This includes ensuring UNPOL advances gender-responsive policing by integrating gender perspectives across all operations, supporting gender-related legal and policy frameworks, conducting gender analyses, promoting women’s meaningful participation and representation, delivering gender-focused training, and monitoring progress in both mission and host‑State police institutions.
UNPOL Gender Toolkit
To ensure that UN police officers are not only operationally competent but equipped to implement policing practices aligned with the guiding principles of the SGF, the United Nations Police Gender Toolkit in English and French was developed. It is a key knowledge tool for UN Police Officers and staff on gender mainstreaming and serves as a space of processes, procedures and contains templates and forms and checklists to support police officers in their daily work.