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The Republic of Sierra Leone Armed Forces (RSLAF), in partnership with UN Women, has secured funding from the Elsie Initiative Fund for Uniformed Women in Peace Operations (EIF) to implement a transformative project aimed at accelerating the participation of women in United Nations peace operations, a move to bolster gender equality and strengthen Sierra Leone’s role in global peacekeeping
The newly launched two-year initiative marks a significant leap forward in Sierra Leone’s Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda, building on findings from a 2022 barrier assessment that highlighted key structural and institutional challenges limiting the full and meaningful participation of women in the country’s armed forces.
According to the assessment, critical hurdles facing women in uniform include unequal access to training, underrepresentation in senior leadership, inadequate healthcare provisions, and weak systems for reporting misconduct and harassment.
With this fresh support from the EIF, the project aims to break these barriers through a multifaceted approach including a comprehensive review and reform of gender-mainstreaming policies within the RSLAF, upgrading facilities at the country’s peace mission Training Center to support gender-inclusive development and peace operations preparation for female personnel and strengthening healthcare nd sexual and gender-base violence [SGBV] reporting services for women oficers.
Currently, RSLAF contributes both Staff Officers (SOs) and Military Experts on Mission (UNMEM) to major UN missions across the globe, including in South Sudan (UNMISS), Central African Republic (MINUSCA), Democratic Republic Congo (MONUSCO), Lebanon (UNIFIL), Western Sahara leadership in the security sector.
“This project is cardinal to empowering women in uniform,” said Major General Amara Idara Bangura, Chief of Defence Staff. “It will enable Sierra Leone to maintain double-digit gender figures and empower female personnel to reach the highest cloud of their desire, exposing them to the dynamics of peacekeeping.”
Currently, RSLAF contributes both Staff Officers (SOs) and Military Experts on Mission (UNMEM) to major UN missions across the globe, including in South Sudan (UNMISS), Central African Republic (MINUSCA), Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUSCO), Lebanon (UNIFIL), Western Sahara, (MINURSO), and Abyei (UNISFA).
While women represent 46% of RSLAF’s peacekeeping deployments, they make up only 13% of the force’s total personnel.
The new initiative aims to close that gap and support the broader UN Uniformed Gender Parity Strategy, which targets a minimum of 25% women among SOs and UNMEM and 15% in troop contingents by 2028.
Setcheme Jeronime Mongbo, UN Women Head of Office in Sierra Leone, described the project as a vital milestone for women’s rights and leadership in the security sector.
“This project marks a critical step in advancing gender equality and women’s empowerment, strengthening leadership, and ensuring that women in uniform have the tools, voice, and support they need to thrive and lead,” Mongbo said. The partnership is expected to serve as a scalable and sustainable model, not just for Sierra Leone but for other nations striving to integrate women more effectively into peacekeeping and defense structures.
The Fund supports reforms in security institutions, development of gender-responsive policies, and pilots activities to enhance the living and working conditions of women peacekeepers.
