Major Abhilasha Barak wins UN Military Gender Advocate Award 2025
Synopsis
India's first woman combat helicopter pilot, Major Abhilasha Barak, has won the UN's top military gender award — presented personally by Secretary-General Guterres — while serving in Lebanon, the world's most dangerous UN peacekeeping zone. She is only the third Indian woman officer to receive this honour, following Major Suman Gawani and Major Radhika Sen.
Key Takeaways
Major Abhilasha Barak , India's first woman combat helicopter pilot, received the UN Military Gender Advocate of the Year Award on 5 June at the United Nations.
The award was presented by UN Secretary-General António Guterres , who called her 'a role model to those you serve, and those you serve with.' Barak serves as Engagement Team Commander and Gender Focal Point with UNIFIL in Lebanon — currently the most dangerous UN peacekeeping mission.
She is the third Indian woman officer to win this honour, after Major Suman Gawani and Major Radhika Sen .
Dag Hammarskjold Awards were also presented for fallen peacekeepers Lance Havildar Harbhajan Singh (DRC) and Naib Subedar Sujit Kumar Pradhan (South Sudan).
India has 4,278 peacekeepers deployed across UN missions, including 650 with UNIFIL, 13 of whom are women.
Major Abhilasha Barak, India's first woman combat helicopter pilot, received the UN Military Gender Advocate of the Year Award at the United Nations on Friday, 5 June, in recognition of her efforts to advance the role of women in peacekeeping operations. The award was presented by UN Secretary-General António Guterres, who called her 'a role model to those you serve, and those you serve with.'
The Award and What It Recognises
The Military Gender Advocate of the Year Award honours peacekeepers who champion the women, peace, and security agenda in active operations. Barak serves as Engagement Team Commander and Gender Focal Point in the Indian Battalion deployed with the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) — currently the most dangerous UN peacekeeping mission, with fighting ongoing between Israel and Hezbollah along the Lebanon border.
She is the third Indian woman officer to receive this honour, after Major Suman Gawani and Major Radhika Sen.
What Barak Said
Accepting the award, Barak said: 'Dreams do not have a gender, and neither does leadership, courage, or the will to serve humanity.' She described the recognition as a reminder 'that lasting peace can only be built when every voice is heard and every individual is empowered.'
Reflecting on her career, she added: 'Being the first woman combat helicopter pilot in the Indian Army, I experienced firsthand how opportunity enables women to break barriers and reach milestones.'
Her Work on the Ground in Lebanon
According to Guterres, Barak has built trust with local communities and helped develop early-warning networks that strengthen UNIFIL's ability to protect civilians. As a frontline commander, she has engaged thousands of women and girls through vocational training and programmes in education and health.
UN Assistant Secretary-General Lisa Buttenheim said Barak's 'leadership and innovation have advanced the women, peace, and security agenda across military operations.'
Dag Hammarskjold Awards for Fallen Indian Peacekeepers
In the same ceremony, India's Permanent Representative P. Harish received Dag Hammarskjold Awards on behalf of two Indian peacekeepers who died in service: Lance Havildar Harbhajan Singh, who served in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Naib Subedar Sujit Kumar Pradhan, who served in South Sudan. Guterres presented both posthumous honours.
India's Peacekeeping Footprint
Barak is among nearly 650 Indian peacekeepers currently serving with UNIFIL, 13 of whom are women, according to UN data. Across all UN missions, India has deployed 4,278 peacekeepers, making it one of the largest troop-contributing nations. The recognition comes amid heightened danger at UNIFIL: a peacekeeper with the mission was killed on Wednesday night, the seventh fatality since March.
Barak's award underscores a broader push within UN peacekeeping to embed gender perspectives at the operational level — not merely as policy, but as frontline practice.
Point of View
Not just mandating it on paper. India's track record of producing successive Military Gender Advocate winners (Gawani, Sen, now Barak) reflects a deliberate deployment strategy, but the numbers still reveal the gap: only 13 of India's 650 UNIFIL peacekeepers are women. The award also arrives in a context of acute danger — seven UNIFIL fatalities since March — which makes the civilian-engagement and early-warning work Barak is conducting all the more consequential, and all the more under-reported.
NationPress
9 Aug 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Major Abhilasha Barak?
Major Abhilasha Barak is India's first woman combat helicopter pilot and a serving officer in the Indian Army. She is currently deployed with UNIFIL in Lebanon as Engagement Team Commander and Gender Focal Point in the Indian Battalion.
What is the UN Military Gender Advocate of the Year Award?
It is an annual United Nations award that recognises a military peacekeeper who has made an outstanding contribution to advancing the women, peace, and security agenda in peacekeeping operations. It is presented by the UN Secretary-General.
Why is Barak's posting in Lebanon significant?
UNIFIL, deployed along the Israel-Lebanon border, is currently the most dangerous UN peacekeeping mission, with seven peacekeepers killed since March amid active fighting between Israel and Hezbollah. Barak's frontline civilian-engagement work — including early-warning networks and vocational training — is conducted under these high-risk conditions.
Which other Indian officers have won this award before?
Major Suman Gawani and Major Radhika Sen are the two Indian women officers who previously received the UN Military Gender Advocate of the Year Award. Barak is the third.
How many Indian peacekeepers are currently deployed in UN missions?
According to UN data, India has 4,278 peacekeepers deployed across UN missions in total, with nearly 650 serving specifically with UNIFIL in Lebanon, 13 of whom are women.
