The United Nations has announced the 2024 recipients of the Military Gender Advocate of the Year Award and the Woman Police Officer of the Year Award. Squadron Leader Sharon Mwinsote Syme of Ghana will receive the Military Gender Advocate of the Year Award, while Chief Superintendent Zainab Gbla of Sierra Leone has been selected as the Woman Police Officer of the Year.

The awards will be presented on 29 May 2025 at UN Headquarters in New York by Secretary-General António Guterres, as part of the International Day of UN Peacekeepers commemorations.

Squadron Leader Syme was recognised for her impactful gender advocacy during her deployment with the United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA), where she served as Military Gender Adviser. Her work included leading health campaigns on gender-based violence and harmful practices like child marriage, spearheading mixed-gender patrols, and strengthening the capacity of military components to address gender dynamics. She also collaborated closely with local women’s groups, promoting trust and working towards inclusive and culturally sensitive peacekeeping.

Chief Superintendent Zainab Gbla was honored for her leadership in police training and community outreach in Abyei, where she currently serves as UNISFA’s Chief Police Training Officer. She established educational programmes, mentorship for girls, and income-generating projects that improved livelihoods, such as crop cultivation and livestock sale, and enabled access to schooling for local children. Gbla, herself a former refugee and displaced person, brings personal experience to her work, having joined the Sierra Leone Police in 2002 and previously served with UN missions in Darfur.

Established in 2016 and 2011 respectively, the Military Gender Advocate and Woman Police Officer of the Year awards highlight the critical role of women in peace operations, celebrating UNSCR 1325 on Women, Peace and Security – calling for women’s participation in peace and political processes, protection from sexual violence, and the integration of gender perspectives in all aspects of peacekeeping.

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