Summary
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Having more women peacekeepers is linked with large reductions insexual misconduct by peacekeepers and more sustainable peace.
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The UN could potentially raise the proportion of women peacekeepers to 20 percent for around $75 million.
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A small multilateral trust fund would offer supplementary payments to troop-contributing countries for each woman peacekeeper provided.
More women peacekeepers make women in conflict, and the world as a whole, safer. Women peacekeepers have unique access to women in host countries, particularly in gender-segregated societies. This has benefits from an intelligence-gathering perspective and in assisting women and girls in conflict-affected contexts. Perhaps as a result, there is evidence that missions with more women personnel are more likely to meet their mandate and bring sustainable peace. In particular, a greater presence of women in peacekeeping operations appears to be associated with lower rates of sexual misconduct by peacekeepers themselves.
An increase in the proportion of women in peacekeeping contingents from zero to 5 percent is associated with a reduction in the count of sexual misconduct allegations by one half.
