Accra, May 21, GNA – Ghana contributes the largest number of female peacekeepers to the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), Major Damea Acheampong Kusi, Ghana Battalion Finance Officer, said Thursday.
Deploying more women in peacekeeping, she noted, was crucial since women were able to engage more with the vulnerable and young girls in peacekeeping communities.
Major Acheampong Kusi said this in a Zoom meeting organized by the United Nations Information Centre to promote the work of women peacekeepers ahead of the International Day of the UN Peacekeepers on May 29.
This year’s celebration is on the theme: “Women in peacekeeping: a Key to peace.”
Major Acheampong Kusi reiterated that female peacekeepers served as positive role models for young girls.
Commenting on the challenges posed by COVID-19 for female peacekeepers, she said, despite the pandemic women remained committed to their responsibilities and continued to support the communities they worked in to fight the pandemic.
She also said they observed all needed protocols and used the pandemic situation to train some of their community members in bead making and other skills.
Major Cynthia Adiasani, the Ghana Battalion Principal Nursing office, added that to keep their camp safe from COVID-19 infection, soldiers were made to wear masks, used hand Sanitisers, washed their hands under running water and sanitized their feet in a chlorine solution before entering the camp.
The Public Information Officer of UNIFIL, Tilak Pokharel, commended Ghana’s efforts, saying it was the first out of 45 countries to send troops to UNIFIL.
He said the Ghanaian team had about 118 women who played a key role in peacekeeping along the blue line, which served as a boundary between Lebanon and Israel.
GNA