Indian Peacekeeper Major Radhika Sen to receive UN award

UN Chief Antonio Guterres will present the UN Military Gender Advocate of the Year award to Indian Army officer Major Radhika Sen on 30th May, 2024.

Major Radhika Sen has been praised as a “true leader and role model” by the UN chief. 

Major Sen, an Indian woman peacekeeping officer, worked with the UN on a mission in Congo. The troops, led by her, addressed areas affected by conflict, with a focus on women and girls. The women and girls affected by the violence were able to trust the peacekeeping team because of Major Sen’s humility, compassion, and determination.

According to the Press Trust of India (PTI), “Major Sen, who worked with the United Nations Organisation Stabilisation Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO), will be awarded the ‘2023 United Nations Military Gender Advocate of the Year Award’ by Guterres in an event at the world body’s headquarters here on May 30 celebrating the International Day of UN Peacekeepers.”

Major Sen served as the Commander of MONUSCO’s Engagement Platoon for the Indian Rapid Deployment Battalion (INDRDB) in the East of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) from March, 2023 to April, 2024, according to a UN press release.

Born in 1993 in Himachal Pradesh, Major Radhika Sen had joined the army in 2016. She completed her master’s degree in biological engineering at IIT Bombay. She made the decision to enlist in the Army while attending this educational institution. 

Major Radhika said, “This award is special to me as it gives recognition to the hard work put in by all the peacekeepers working in the challenging environment of DRC and giving their best to bring a positive change in society.”