India important supporter of peacekeeping: UN peacekeeping chief Lacroix

India's crucial role in UN peacekeeping efforts, including promoting accountability for crimes against peacekeepers, highlighted by top official.

“India is a very important supporter of peacekeeping, including its support for various efforts, such as its lead on efforts to ensure accountability for crimes against peacekeepers,” the UN’s top peacekeeping official Jean-Pierre Lacroix has said.

Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix's comments came during a press briefing on Thursday (May 29, 2025) on the occasion of International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers.

He had visited New Delhi to attend the first-ever Conference for Women Peacekeepers organised by India on February 24-25. “Yes, I really wanted to go to New Delhi and to that conference,” Mr. Lacroix said in response to a question by PTI about the conference and his assessment of it.

“First of all, because India is a very important troop and police contributing country. It's also a very important supporter of peacekeeping, beyond the important contribution of men and women from India, but also in terms of supporting various efforts. I'm thinking in particular, but there are many other examples, of the lead from India on the accountability for crime against peacekeepers,” Mr. Lacroix said.

The Delhi conference with the theme of ‘Women in Peacekeeping: A Global South Perspective’ was organised by the Ministry of External Affairs in collaboration with the Ministry of Defence and the Centre for United Nations Peacekeeping (CUNPK).

It brought together women peacekeepers from 35 Troop Contributing Countries (TCCs) from the Global South to discuss the evolving challenges in peacekeeping and the critical role women play in advancing peace and security. The official added that the issue of women in peacekeeping has two dimensions.

“It's more women in peacekeeping, which guarantees a more effective peacekeeping, and it's more empowerment of women through peacekeeping, in terms of the role of women in political processes, their empowerment, making sure that they are part and parcel of all these peacebuilding and peacekeeping efforts,” he said.