Squadron Leader Sharon Mwinsote Syme of Ghana has received the 2024 United Nations Military Gender Advocate of the Year Award, making her the latest Ghanaian peacekeeper to gain international recognition for outstanding efforts in promoting gender equality within peacekeeping missions.
The award was announced at a solemn ceremony held at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, where Secretary-General António Guterres commended Ms. Syme for her service with the United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA).
The event also included the presentation of the annual Dag Hammarskjöld Medal and the Woman Police Officer of the Year Award, honouring the dedication and sacrifice of peacekeepers worldwide.
“Squadron Leader Sharon Mwinsote Syme demonstrates these qualities in abundance,” Guterres stated. “As the military gender advisor in the Interim Security Force for Abyei, her outreach has built strong community links and brought a gender perspective to the field. Her work helped us to better understand the concerns of women and girls and to craft possible solutions together.”
Deployed to UNISFA in March 2024, Squadron Leader Syme spearheaded a range of gender-focused initiatives, including health awareness campaigns and intensive gender sensitisation training for troops.
Her efforts reached over 1,500 personnel across Abyei’s northern, central, and southern sectors. She led these efforts personally, engaging directly with commanding officers to foster a deeper understanding of the UN’s Women, Peace, and Security (WPS) agenda.
“I realised that if gender mainstreaming was going to be effective, everyone needed to understand what it meant. So, I developed and delivered in-person training across all military contingents,” she explained in an interview.
Her work delivered clear outcomes: peacekeepers began forming gender-balanced patrols and involving local women in safety discussions. Her emphasis on inclusivity helped bridge the gap between policy and practice.
Ms. Syme’s influence also extended well beyond the military. Collaborating with civilian and police gender officers, she led a health awareness campaign to address harmful practices such as early child marriage and female genital mutilation (FGM). Recognising that traditional meetings often excluded women, she created opportunities for private conversations that enabled them to speak freely.
“What they shared was heartbreaking,” she said. “Stories of girls married at age eight or nine, mothers losing daughters to unsafe FGM procedures. One woman said she couldn’t have children because of complications from FGM.”
In response, she invited medical staff from UNISFA’s hospital to lead an awareness campaign. “The men were shocked. Many apologised. They said they didn’t know the extent of the harm,” she recalled. That experience sparked a shift in local attitudes and prompted community leaders to reevaluate long-standing traditions.
She also championed joint commemorations and gender awareness activities across the mission, emphasising that gender equality is a shared responsibility. “Success comes from diversifying military representation at checkpoints, in operating bases, and on patrols,” she said.
“But it also comes from having gender-responsive leaders who listen and act.”
Ghana’s military envoy to the UN and officials from the Ghana Armed Forces praised the recognition as a landmark in the country’s peacekeeping history. A graduate of the Ghana Military Academy, Ms. Syme holds a master’s degree in international health from Tokyo University in Japan. S
he currently serves as Deputy Chief Dietician at the 37 Military Hospital in Accra and is part of the Ghana Armed Forces Medical Corps.
Established in 2016, the Military Gender Advocate of the Year Award is given annually to a military peacekeeper—regardless of gender—who has demonstrated outstanding commitment to the principles of UN Security Council Resolution 1325.
This resolution calls for the inclusion of women in peace and security initiatives and the prevention of gender-based violence in conflict settings.
Reflecting on the award as she accepted it in New York, Ms. Syme expressed hope for the future. “I hope this recognition inspires other peacekeepers—especially women—to lead boldly,” she said. “Without a gender lens, we risk missing the real picture.”
