The United Nations Military Award of the Year for Advocating for Gender Equality was presented to Captain Cecilia Erzuah, a Ghanaian peacekeeper serving with the United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA).
Captain Erzuah, 32, has been deployed since March 2022 to Abyei where she serves as commander. She will receive her award from the Secretary-General, Mr. António Guterres, during a ceremony commemorating the International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers on Thursday, May 25, 2023.
The Military Award for Advocacy for Gender Equality was created in 2016 to recognize the dedication and efforts of a peacekeeper to promote the principles of resolution 1325 (2000) on women, peace and security.
According to the SG, “this resolution (…) recalls that women peacekeepers support global peace and security but are also their leaders. By all accounts, Captain Cecilia Erzuah of Ghana is one of those leaders,” said the Secretary-General.
It’s a reward for « every one of us, » the captain said, referring to her patrol mates. She expressed her gratitude for receiving this award.
Captain Erzuah, who joined the Ghana Armed Forces in 2016, is the first Ghanaian peacekeeper to receive this prestigious award.
She served under the UN flag with the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) from July 2019 to August 2020, before joining UNISFA in March 2022. Ghana deploys the largest contingent of female peacekeepers within the UN with 375 elements.
By OMA Newsletter N° 1180 of 05/22/2023
Article published under the direction of Dr. Najib Kettani
The OMA, NGO with an Intercontinental vocation
For the development of cultural exchanges
Valuing human potential
The promotion and consolidation of Africa’s development, and
Inter-African integration
