Ghanaian all-women show during Sector West transfer of authority

previous next
18 Oct 2018

Ghanaian all-women show during Sector West transfer of authority

As Brigadier General Paolo Fabbri passed the command of UNIFIL’s Sector West area of operation to Brigadier General Diodato Abagnara at a ceremony in the Sector Headquarters in Shamaa today, the parade of Ghanaian peacekeepers stood out with their all-women performance.

Lieutenant Tracy Amerley Telfer led the parade of about 30 Ghanaian peacekeepers at the transfer of authority ceremony, which was also observed by the UNIFIL Head of Mission and Force Commander, Major General Stefano Del Col.

The new commander, Brigadier General Abagnara, will serve with the Mission for six months.

Among UNIFIL’s 41 troop contributing countries, Ghana has the highest number of women in uniform (105, as of 30 September 2018).

Secretary-General António Guterres has made a priority to increase the number of women across the United Nations system, especially calling on Member States to send more women to the UN Peacekeeping.

“This is not simply about the fight for gender equality,” said Mr. Guterres last June. “From peace and security to development to human rights, greater inclusion is the key to our success – bringing new perspectives, different leadership styles, greater innovation and ultimately a more effective organization.”

Among the UN’s seven major peacekeeping operations with more than 4,000 troops, UNIFIL ranks second in terms of the percentage of female peacekeepers. Only the UN Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA) has more percentage of female peacekeepers than UNIFIL.