Chief Warrant Officer Alizeta Kabore Kinda of Burkina Faso received the 2022 United Nations Woman Police Officer of the Year Award on 31 August.
The United Nations Woman Police Officer of the Year award was established in 2011 to recognize the exceptional contributions of women police officers to United Nations peace operations and to promote women’s empowerment. So, this year marks the 12th time the UN Woman Police Officer of the Year Award has been awarded.
The UN Women Police Officer of the Year Award is bestowed on a woman police officer currently serving in a United Nations peace operation for her exceptional performance. The award has been presented during the third United Nations Chiefs of Police Summit, taking place at the United Nations Headquarters on 31 August and 1 September. The summit brings together ministers, chiefs of police, and senior representatives of regional and professional policing organizations to engage on strengthening international peace, security, and development through the unifying power and role of national and United Nations policing. The event is hosted by the Police Division and co-sponsored by the Permanent Missions of Canada and Norway in Conference Room 1, United Nations Conference Building.
Gender focal point
Chief Warrant Officer Kinda serves as a gender focal point with the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA), where she supports the Malian Security Forces in the Menaka region to promote and improve understanding of gender, child protection, human rights and civil protection issues. Following her efforts, more victims of sexual and gender‑based violence are coming forward to report their cases to local authorities and to receive medical care — now three or more per month from none before her arrival. Her efforts have also focused on expanding the number of girls in schools and reducing early marriages.
Chief Warrant Officer Kinda’s career has focused on protecting and promoting women’s and children’s rights, including between 2013 to 2015, when she was a gender focal point in the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO). In her home country of Burkina Faso, she performed these duties within the Ministry of Security and the Regional Brigade for the Protection of Women and Children, a unit of the national police, as an investigator on sexual violence and exploitation.
A brilliant example to inspire women
Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix said: “Chief Warrant Officer Kinda’s work is a shining example of how the participation of women police in peace operations directly impacts the sustainability of peace by helping to bring different perspectives to the table and making our work more inclusive. Through her actions, she embodies a more representative, efficient police service that is better equipped to serve and protect the public.”
Upon receiving the news of her award, Ms. Kinda expressed “hope that it will inspire women and girls around the world to pursue policing careers, despite the gender stereotypes often associated with the profession: that men are better suited to enforce the laws and protect the population”.
United Nations Police Adviser Luis Carrilho said: “Chief Warrant Officer Kinda has demonstrated creativity and commitment in addressing the specific security needs of the communities she serves. She and her team are helping to increase trust between Malian local authorities and communities, which makes the work of the United Nations Police more effective and the people safer.”
Women in the UN Police
About 10,000 United Nations Police are authorized to serve in 16 United Nations peace operations, where they work to enhance international peace and security by supporting host countries in conflict, post-conflict and other crisis situations. Women comprise over 19 per cent of currently serving United Nations Police officers.
Women’s participation in United Nations Police has doubled since 2015. As of today, United Nations Police has already achieved the 2025 targets set out in the Department’s Uniformed Gender Parity Strategy for all categories of personnel. Women police officers make up 31.5 per cent of individually deployed police officers and 14.6 per cent of members of Formed Police Units. Women also lead half of the United Nations Police components in the field, including United Nations peace operations in Abyei, Cyprus, Kosovo, Mali, South Sudan and Sudan.
