KINSHASA: Members of the first-ever Pakistani Female Engagement Team (FET) deployed with the United Nations Organisation Stabilisation Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUSCO) have been awarded the UN Medal.
This team of 15 female officers, who serve at the ranks of Major and Captain, was stationed there in June last year, marked by the raising of Pakistan’s flag at the mission.
The award was given at a ceremony in Adikivu in South Kivu, one of the provinces of the central African country. The Governor of South Kivu Province, Theo Ngwabidje, represented the Congolese authorities at the ceremony.
The officers are psychologists, stress counsellors, vocational training officers, gender advisors, doctors, nurses, operations officers, information officers and logistics officers. Another 17 female officers will join them in early February, according to the statement received at the UN Headquarters in New York from the peacekeeping mission.
UN Peacekeepers rely heavily on engaging with the local community which feels more comfortable liaising and sharing information with military troops that include women alongside men, the mission said. “Throughout their deployment the Pakistani female officers worked hard to win the trust of the community,” it said.
The Pakistani FET, according to the mission, has implemented many successful projects including vocational training, medical outreach, regular sessions of support for students, local women and teachers exposed to trauma, and psychological workshops for Congolese police personnel.
“This team’s extraordinary endeavours to serve the UN is worthy of praise,” added a statement by MONUSCO.
#PhotoOfTheDay In Adikivu, #South_Kivu, #DRC ???????? – The first ever Pakistani Female Engagement team in any #UN ???????? mission around the world received UN #Peacekeeping medals for serving in #MONUCO. #Pakistan ???????? #A4P pic.twitter.com/NbroYXVpVd
— MONUSCO (@MONUSCO) January 31, 2020
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