Pakistanis among world’s highest percentage of women UN peacekeepers — EU envoy

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has some of the highest numbers of women blue helmets in the world, EU envoy to Pakistan said on Twitter on Sunday, a day after the ‘International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers.’
Pakistan’s contributions to UN peacekeeping span over six decades.
“Did you know that Pakistan has one of the highest percentage of women Peacekeepers in the world ?” Androulla Kaminara, ambassador of the European Union to Pakistan said on Sunday.
On Saturday, Pakistan’s foreign ministry said in a statement:
“As one of the top troop contributing countries, Pakistan deeply values the vital role played by ‘blue helmets’ in maintaining security and stability in many conflict-ridden areas around the world.”
It also said Pakistan had led the way in deputing female peacekeepers in “record time.”
“A team of our officers is presently serving as the first all-female group from Pakistan in a UN peacekeeping mission, deployed in the Democratic Republic of Congo,” the FO said.
These officers provide a range of resources to the region including through work as psychologists, stress counsellors, vocational training officers, gender advisers, doctors, nurses, operations officers, information officers and logistics officers.
“Since 1960, over 200,000 of our servicemen have served with honor and valour in 46 UN missions in 26 countries in almost all continents of the world,” the statement read.
Pakistan brings a “unique perspective to peacekeeping,” the FO said, not only as a leading troop contributing country, but also as host to one of the oldest peacekeeping missions in the world.
According to foreign ministry data, 157 of Pakistan’s peacekeepers have been martyred in the line of duty for the cause of international peace and security.