- Major Abhilasha Barak is the first Indian woman to win the 2025 UN Military Gender Advocate Award
- She serves with UNIFIL in Lebanon as Engagement Team Commander and Gender Focal Point
- Barak led programs benefiting over 5,000 women and girls and conducted 539 gender-focused activities
Major Abhilasha Barak has become the first Indian woman peacekeeper to receive the 2025 United Nations Military Gender Advocate of the Year Award. The honour recognises her efforts to promote gender equality and support women in conflict-affected areas while serving with the UN peacekeeping mission in Lebanon.
Currently deployed with the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), Major Barak serves as an Engagement Team Commander and Gender Focal Point with the Indian Battalion in southern Lebanon. Since joining the mission in June 2025, she has worked closely with local communities, ensuring that the concerns of women and vulnerable groups are included in peacekeeping activities.
During her deployment, she led education, healthcare and skill-development programmes that benefited more than 5,000 women and girls. She also conducted 539 gender-focused field activities within six months, the highest number in the mission during that period. She further led all-women patrol teams during times of heightened tension in the region.
One of her major achievements was launching the Lebanon Gender Initiative, an AI-based platform that helps women and children report gender-based violence confidentially and access support services, educational resources and self-defence information.
Major Barak also helped 75 women from southern Lebanon secure fully funded scholarships under India's Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) programme. The scholarships provide training in areas such as renewable energy, entrepreneurship and finance.
The United Nations praised her efforts for strengthening trust between peacekeepers and local communities and improving support systems for women. UN Peace Operations chief Jean-Pierre Lacroix said her work demonstrates how gender inclusion can strengthen peacekeeping missions and contribute to lasting peace.
The award, presented annually since 2016, recognises military peacekeepers who advance the goals of UN Security Council Resolution 1325, which promotes women's participation in peace and security efforts.
Major Abhilasha Barak's achievement is a proud moment for India and highlights the important contribution of Indian peacekeepers in UN missions around the world.
