Who Is Major Swathi Shantha Kumar? Indian Army Officer Wins UN Gender Award

Major Swathi Shantha Kumar of the Indian Army has received the United Nations Secretary General’s Award 2025 for her work in gender inclusive peacekeeping. She is currently serving with the United Nations Mission in South Sudan known as UNMISS.

The award was announced by United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres as part of the Secretary General’s Awards 2025. Major Swathi was recognised for her project titledEqual Partners Lasting Peace.

The project focuses on strengthening gender inclusive practices within UN peacekeeping operations. The award honours initiatives that support gender parity and gender responsive peacekeeping as part of the UN mandate.

UN Recognition for Gender Inclusive Peacekeeping

Major Swathi’s project was shortlisted from nominations submitted by UN peacekeeping missions and UN agencies worldwide. It was selected as the winner in the Gender Category.

The final decision was made through a UN wide voting process involving United Nations personnel across different missions. The project received the highest number of votes among four shortlisted initiatives.

Major Swathi is from Bengaluru and is the eldest of three daughters. According to her family she expressed a desire to join the Indian Army from an early age. She is currently serving as part of the Indian Army contingent deployed under UNMISS in South Sudan.

During her deployment Major Swathi led the Indian Engagement Team which worked to improve gender parity and community outreach in the mission area.

The team was involved in multiple operational activities under her leadership. These included short and long distance ground patrols integrated river patrols and air patrols to remote regions of the host country.

The operations were carried out in areas affected by conflict and limited access. According to the United Nations these efforts helped create a safer environment for local communities. More than 5,000 women were able to participate in community level activities following sustained engagement by the team.

The initiative also contributed to improved trust between peacekeeping forces and local populations in several regions. The UN stated that the project strengthened outreach and engagement at the grassroots level particularly in conflict affected areas of South Sudan.

The United Nations noted that the work carried out under Major Swathi’s leadership demonstrated the role of gender inclusive approaches in peacekeeping missions.

The initiative has been cited as an example of integrating gender perspectives into operational planning and field level activities.

The Secretary General’s Award is given annually to recognise UN personnel and teams for initiatives that support the organisation’s priorities.

Major Swathi Shantha Kumar’s recognition highlights the participation of Indian Army officers in international peacekeeping efforts under the United Nations.