BENGALURU: Bengaluru-based Swathi Shantha Kumar, who is currently serving as Major in the Indian Army in South Sudan has been selected for the prestigious United Nations (UN) Secretary General Award 2025.
The announcement came on January 7 that she won the award in the Gender category, which recognises initiatives that foster gender parity and advocate for gender-inclusive peacekeeping in alignment with the UN mandate.
Kumar and her team were shortlisted from the nominations received from across the UN peacekeeping missions and UN agencies worldwide. She secured the highest number of votes among four finalists in a UN-wide voting process.
Kumar acts as the engagement team commander of the Indian battalion in the United Nations Mission in the Republic of South Sudan (UNMISS) – the first Indian female engagement team in the mission.
The group has conducted many short- and long-distance patrols, integrated riverine patrols and dynamic air patrols to far-flung counties of the host nation. These operations contributed substantially to creating a conducive and secure environment for more than 5,000 women, enabling meaningful participation and community confidence-building.
“During our first patrol, women were not speaking to us at all. Now they are approaching us by themselves to share their stories. And you can really see the relief they feel after talking to us about their concerns,” said Kumar.
Kumar’s mother Rajamani said, “As a mother, I am feeling very proud of my daughter. This award is completely the result of her hardwork and dedication. She is a very diligent officer and does her work with a lot of passion.”