Major Abhilasha Barak honoured with UN Military Gender Advocate of the Year Award 2025

New Delhi:( Vivek Ojha) : Indian Army officer Major Abhilasha Barak, serving with the United Nations peacekeeping mission in Lebanon, has been honoured with the prestigious United Nations Military Gender Advocate of the Year Award for 2025. The recipient is selected annually from nominations submitted by Force Commanders and Heads of Mission across UN peacekeeping operations worldwide.

Major Barak is currently serving with the Indian Battalion as Commander of the Female Engagement Team in the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL). She is also the first woman combat helicopter pilot of the Indian Army.

The award, instituted in 2016 by the Office of Military Affairs under the UN Department of Peace Operations, recognises a military peacekeeper who has shown exceptional commitment to promoting gender equality and implementing UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security.