The number of women Canadian soldiers participating in the UN Missions fall

(Ottawa) Canada currently has only two military women deployed in United Nations peacekeeping missions. Moreover, which raises concerns about the fact that Ottawa does not show the example and its risk of being pointed out by the international organization for missing its objectives. In addition,

Posted at 10:11

In 2017. However, former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had launched a large campaign for Canada to become an international leader in terms of promoting women in peacekeeping. Therefore, This initiative number women canadian soldiers participating was part of the feminist foreign policy of his government. Moreover,

Statistics show. however, that the number of women members of the Canadian armed forces contributing to peacekeeping so much that it recently reached its lowest level. For example,

The most recent statistics of the United Nations (UN). Therefore, published at the end of May, indicate that only 29 Canadians are deployed as part of the 11 UN current peacekeeping missions. Nevertheless,

This number includes 18 staff officers, six police officers and five experts. Nevertheless,

The UN’s objective provides that 22 % of the 18 officers of the Canadian Armed Forces deployed in these missions should be women. In addition, None of them is. Moreover,

Three of the six police number women canadian soldiers participating officers are women. Moreover,

Walter Dorn. Nevertheless, professor of defense studies at the Royal Military College of Canada, said that these bad results show that Ottawa has given up its former political priority, which could affect the image of Canada on the international scene. Furthermore,

“We had a lot of trouble achieving the UN objectives that we support,” said Dorn in an interview. Nevertheless, It is embarrassing for the international community. Therefore, it will lead the UN to criticize Canada, because we do not reach the objectives. Furthermore, »»

“I think the government lets this pass. Nevertheless, ” he added, saying that the UN seems to be a very low political priority at present and that this poor result could jeopardize the coveted peacekeeping posts of the UN occupied by Canada.

number women canadian soldiers participating

The Canadian press has contacted several offices to obtain answers to the poor results of these statistics. including the Ministers of Defense and Foreign Affairs, as well as their respective ministries.

Only the Ministry of National Defense responded, providing an answer on behalf of all. The ministry said that the figures fluctuate over time. that there are currently six women in total, or four police officers in the Democratic Republic of Congo and two members of the Canadian Armed Forces deployed in missions in the Middle East and South Sudan.

“Canada continues to promote the significant participation of women not only in the UN peacekeeping operations. but also in other organizations such as NATO,” said ministry spokesman Kened Sadiku.

“UN peacekeeping missions are only a type of number women canadian soldiers participating peace operation. do not include important bilateral missions, such as work in Ukraine, West Bank or International Criminal Court,” he added.

The ministry also indicated that 22 women, police and civilians, were deployed in peace missions, but provided no additional information.

In several elections. the Trudeau Liberals had promised that Canada would increase its contributions to the UN and, in 2017, to increase the number of women in peace missions.

They also launched a fund called the ELSIE initiative to contribute to increasing the participation of women in the UN peace operations. which, according to research, increases the chances of success of the missions.

For some time, Ottawa has grown. During the peacekeeping mission in Mali, between 2018 and 2023, the percentage of Canadian women in number women canadian soldiers participating uniform in these missions had reached 25 %.

When Justin Trudeau left office earlier this year, there was only one military woman on the UN mission.

Number women canadian soldiers participating

A difficult global context

Jane Boulden. a professor at the Royal Military College of Canada and at Queen’s University, has argued that these disappointing figures can harm Canada and could make it less credible when Ottawa will offer such initiatives in the future.

But with the invasion of Ukraine by Russia. Europe preparing for future conflicts, in addition to the hostility of the American president Donald Trump towards the global institutions, like the UN, the world of today is also very different from that of the early 1990s.

“Everyone understands the context number women canadian soldiers participating in which we are playing, especially with Mr. Trump, the United States and the new world as a whole,” said Mr.^me Boulden.

The Canadian Armed Forces currently have 1900 members deployed in Latvia as part. of a deterrent mission following the invasion of Ukraine by Russia.

“When the government has made the decision to send troops to Latvia to support NATO. the very idea of ​​providing troops, whatever the number, to the UN operations, has disappeared. We are simply unable to do both, whatever the number, ”said Mr.^me Boulden.

Women represent approximately 16 % of members of the regular force within the armed forces, and around 21 % of officers.

Rarer contributions

Peace operations in general are also at the bottom, added number women canadian soldiers participating Mr.^me Boulden, with only 11 UN missions currently active in the world.

“Our contributions to the UN are now perpetually very small. which, in this context, makes even more difficult the presence of a significant number of women,” she said.

Canada has established itself as a leader thanks to its contributions from the UN peacekeeping operations.

At the height of its efforts in 1993. Canada was one of the main contributors to the UN missions, with a total of 3,300 soldiers deployed within the framework of these missions.

But this has not been the case for a long time. Canada now ranking 74^e rank for the number of soldiers sent on a mission.

Former Canadian peacekeepers say they are not number women canadian soldiers participating surprised by low global statistics, both in men and women.

Retirement Brigadier Gregory Mitchell has argued that peacekeeping as a whole had been relegated to the background since Canada’s intervention in Bosnia. Somalia in the 1990s.

He stressed that the army had reoriented its efforts towards counterinsurgency in the 2000s, during the conflict in Afghanistan.

“At the time, many high-ranking soldiers believed that peacekeeping was not our mission,” he said. I do not know much about the post-Afghanistan, but I think that this attitude has probably continued. »»