Major Radhika Sen of the Indian Army has been chosen to be the 2023 Military Gender Advocate of the Year recipient. Her support of women and girls while working as a peacekeeper is acknowledged with this award. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres congratulated her and described her as a true leader and role model. Her work was a genuine asset to the UN organization as a whole. On Thursday, which is recognized as the International Day of UN Peacekeepers, Guterres will award Sen with the Award, according to his spokesperson, Stephane Dujarric. The medal honors a military peacekeeper’s contributions to the advancement of the 2000 Security Council resolution, which mandates the UN take on gender-related obligations and calls for the protection of women and girls from sexual assault associated to conflicts.
Sen worked for the Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO), where she was involved in the establishment of the Community Alert Networks in North Kivu. These networks served as a forum for women, young people, and community leaders to express their concerns about security and humanitarian issues.
Sen is the second Indian peacekeeper to be honored, following Major Suman Gawani, who was recognized in 2019 for his work with the UN Mission in South Sudan. Sen, a biotech engineer from Himachal Pradesh, was enrolled in the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay’s master’s program when she made the decision to enlist. Her assignment to MONUSCO began in 2023 when she was posted to the Indian Rapid Deployment Battalion as the Engagement Platoon Commander. She served there until April 2024.