PHNOM PENH: The Elsie Initiative Fund for Uniformed Women in Peace Operations (EIF) announced on Thursday that Cambodia will receive funding to undertake a study to identify barriers to the deployment of women in the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces (RCAF), to United Nations peacekeeping. Cambodia is the 25th highest troop-contributing country to UN Peacekeeping Operations, currently deploying 766 military personnel, among which 14 percent are women.

According to the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Deputy Prime Minister Prak Sokhonn, “Since 2006, Cambodia has deployed 8302 peacekeepers including 580 women to UN missions in 9 countries. Amongst the priority sectors, the Royal Cambodian Government promotes women’s roles in leadership, peace, and security.” He said that Cambodia is committed to this project to support global peace and promote women’s political, economic and social participation in a post-conflict society.

Committed to advancing gender equality, Cambodia plans to increase its deployment of military women to United Nations peacekeeping to 20 percent by 2024. This project marks a crucial step in translating this commitment into concrete actions. Through a comprehensive assessment, the project will identify specific barriers to, and opportunities for, the meaningful participation of women in the RCAF. Results and recommendations from the project will also inform policy formulation and guide institutional reforms to address the barriers identified and promote women’s full and meaningful participation.

Adopting a whole-of-institution approach, the RCAF will establish a cross-department working group to ensure successful implementation and national ownership of project outcomes. The working group will comprise members from the National Center for Peacekeeping Forces (NPMEC), the Ministry of Defense, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, the Ministry of Women’s Affairs, and other key government partners. Upon completion of the project, the working group will ensure that the recommendations are then incorporated into the policies, national action plans, and programs of the key government departments.

In close partnership with the NPMEC and RCAF, the project will be managed by UN Women Cambodia – a long-standing partner supporting the Cambodian government in empowering women and advancing gender equality. UN Women Cambodia will oversee the project implementation, including the selection of an independent research institution to conduct the assessment, utilizing the Measuring Opportunities for Women in Peace Operations (MOWIP) methodology developed by DCAF - the Geneva Centre for Security Sector Governance.

Sarah Knibbs, Officer-in-Charge of the UN Women Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific, said that the project is a major landmark in supporting Cambodia’s effort to increase women’s meaningful participation in United Nations peace operations, a concrete example of multilateralism in action. This also coincides with Cambodia’s role as the ASEAN Chair this year. She believes that it will have a positive spill-over impact in the ASEAN region and hopefully inspire the other ASEAN Member States to do the same.

Although Cambodia is the 2nd highest contributor of women peacekeepers among the ASEAN Member States, Cambodia aims to go beyond the gender targets set in the United Nation’s Uniformed Gender Parity Strategy 2018-2028 by 2024 with this project.