The call was made by Foreign Affairs Minister Retno Marsudi at the Women Foreign Ministers` Meeting in Montreal, Canada, according to a written statement from the Indonesian Embassy in Ottawa, received here on Tuesday.
"As part of the UN peace mission, women have an edge in terms of persuasive abilities, acceptance by local communities, as well as protection for civilians from sexual violence and gender-based violence," Minister Marsudi remarked.
Indonesia is currently one of the largest contributors to the UN peacekeeping force, with some 3,500 personnel of which 111 are women.
To encourage increased participation of women, the Indonesian government had proposed the establishment of a special UN task force that oversees the dispatch of female personnel in peace missions.
In addition, the Indonesian government had proposed the existence of a peacekeeping unit, with only female personnel, to be assigned to conflict areas where vulnerable groups comprise women and children.
At the national level, the Indonesian government also continues to encourage the preparation of female personnel in peacekeeping missions. This was done by incorporating a gender perspective in the training curriculum for the Peace Maintenance Mission Training Center in Sentul, Bogor.
At the meeting initiated by the Canadian foreign minister and the European Union, the Indonesian foreign minister also encouraged strengthening global cooperation to combat acts of terrorism, including through increasing the role of women in deradicalization programs.
Reporting by Yuni Arisandy
Editing by Otniel Tamindael, Yoseph Hariyadi
Reporter: antara
Editor: Heru Purwanto
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