Indian Army officer Major Suman Gawani will be awarded the UN Military Gender Advocate of the Year 2019. This will be the first time that an Indian Peace Guard will be awarded this award. Major Suman was stationed in South Sudan under the United Nations Mission. Recently she has completed her mission.
Major Suman Gawani of Indian Army, formerly deployed with UN Mission in South Sudan (#UNMISS) will receive the 2019 UN Military Gender Advocate of the Year Award during an online ceremony presided over by Secretary General António Guterres on 29 May – Int’l Day of UN Peacekeepers pic.twitter.com/7AEPNc4hkl
— India at UN, NY (@IndiaUNNewYork) May 25, 2020
The award will be presented to Major Suman Gawani and Brazilian Naval Officer Commander Carla Monteiro de Castro Araujo during an online ceremony chaired by UN Secretary-General Guterres on May 29, the International Day of the United Nations Peacekeepers.
These two women peacekeeper were described as “powerful role models” by the UN Chief Antonio Guterres.
Major Suman Gawani is the first Indian peacekeeper to win the award. She is a Military Observer, formerly deployed to the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS). Military Supervisor Suman Gawani has recently completed a mission in South Sudan in addition to his tenure with UNMISS.