Major Seynabou Diouf of the Senegal National Police, serving in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), has been awarded the “2019 United Nations Female Police Officer of the Year.”
UN Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix highly commended the achievements of Major Diouf, noting that what she has done “speaks up and speaks out on behalf of all vulnerable populations.”
“At the core of action for peacekeeping lies the notion of shared responsibility. Major Diouf has taken this to heart, and has worked tirelessly with her colleague…to empower women, improve conduct and harms protection, strengthen performance, and thereby build sustainable peace,” said the UN peacekeeping chief who presented the award to Major Diouf at an award-presenting ceremony held at the UN headquarters in New York.
Major Diouf currently leads a task force that helps to prevent and end sexual exploitation and abuse with the UN Organization Stabilization Mission in the DRC (MONUSCO) in Goma (North Kivu).
She also leads the UN Police Women’s Network, which connects female officers for mentoring, training, professional development and mutual support.
“I promise to continue promoting women’s rights, speaking out against sexual, gender-based violence, but also speaking out and fighting marginalization and discriminatory, customary and religious practices targeted at women and girls,” the awardee said in her acceptance speech.
The United Nations Female Police Officer of the Year award was established in 2011 to recognize exceptional contributions of female police officers to UN peacekeeping and to promote the empowerment of women.
In choosing Major Diouf, the selection committee commended her exemplary service, which has a direct and positive impact on the community and the Congolese national police.
Major Diouf was selected out of 30 nominations from eight missions.
Nearly 10,000 UN police are deployed in peace operations, helping to enhance international peace and security by supporting member states in conflict, post-conflict and other crisis situations.
Currently, more than 1,400 female police officers serve in UN peace operations.
Senegal is the largest contributor of police to UN peace operations and is among the top five contributors of female police officers.
