A peacekeeper from Burkina Faso serving in Mali, Alizeta Kinda, has been honoured for her work to boost trust between the authorities and local communities, including survivors of gender-based violence.

Chief warrant officer Kinda is the recipient of the 2022 United Nations Woman Police Officer of the Year Award, announced on Monday.

The award was established in 2011 to recognise the exceptional contributions of women police officers to UN peace operations and to promote women’s empowerment.

Ms Kinda is deployed as a gender focal point with the UN Mission in Mali, known as MINUSMA. She supports the Malian Security Forces in the Ménaka region to promote and improve understanding of gender, child protection, human rights, and civil protection issues.

Her efforts have led to more sexual and gender-based violence victims coming forward to report their cases to local authorities and receive medical care; now, three or more per month, up from none before her arrival.

She has also focused on expanding the number of girls in schools and reducing early marriages.

“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,” Jean-Pierre Lacroix, UN Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations, said. “How it impacts the sustainability of peace by helping to bring different perspectives to the table and making our work more inclusive.”

She will be presented with the award on Wednesday during the third UN Chiefs of Police Summit (UNCOPS) at UN Headquarters in New York from August 31 to September 1.

“Chief warrant officer Kinda has demonstrated creativity and commitment in addressing the specific security needs of the communities she serves,” UN police adviser Luis Carrilho said. “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.”

(NAN)