Rajnath proposes role for women in U.N. peacekeeping

About ASEAN

What is ASEAN? | World Economic Forum

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or ASEAN, is a regional & intergovernmental organisation of 10 countries of southeast Asia.
ASEAN was established in 1967 in Bangkok, Thailand, with the signing of the ASEAN Declaration (Bangkok Declaration).
Its members are Thailand, Malaysia, Laos, Cambodia, Indonesia, Singapore, Myanmar, Philippines, Brunei and Vietnam.
The organisation aims to accelerate the economic growth, social progress and cultural development in the region through joint endeavours in the spirit of equality and partnership. They work towards the progress of the southeast Asia region.

The group has played a central role in Asian economic integration, signing free trade deals with other regional economies.
In 2020, ASEAN members joined Australia, China, Japan, New Zealand, and South Korea in signing the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), a free trade agreement in the works since 2012.
Yet experts say ASEAN’s impact is limited by a lack of strategic vision, diverging priorities among member states, and weak leadership. One of the bloc’s biggest challenges is developing a unified approach to China, particularly in response to territorial disputes in the South China Sea.
In recent months, a primary challenge for ASEAN has been developing a response to the 2021 coup in Myanmar. The junta has violently suppressed protests, and the conflict with opposition forces has escalated into civil war. Yet the bloc’s response has been limited due to internal divisions.

Why in News?

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has made two proposals for expanding the scope and the depth of the India-ASEAN (Association of South East Asian Nations) defence relations.
These include an initiative for women in United Nations Peace Keeping (UNPK) operations and another initiative on marine plastic pollution.
He made these at the inaugural India-ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting held at Siem Reap in Cambodia to commemorate the 30th Anniversary of India-ASEAN relations.
The ‘India-ASEAN Initiative for women in UNPK operations’ includes conduct of tailor-made courses for women peacekeepers of ASEAN member states at the Centre for United Nations Peacekeeping in India and conduct of a ‘Table Top Exercise’ in India for women officers from ASEAN incorporating facets of UNPK challenges.
The second initiative on marine plastic pollution includes channelising the energy of the youth towards addressing the critical issue of marine pollution.

About UN Peacekeeping Forces

The United Nations Peacekeeping Forces are employed by the UN to maintain or re-establish peace in an area of armed conflict.
The UN may engage in conflicts between states as well as in struggles within states. The UN acts as an impartial third party in order to prepare the ground for a settlement of the issues that have provoked armed conflict.
The UN Peacekeeping Forces may only be employed when both parties to a conflict accept their presence.
The Peacekeeping Forces are subordinate to the leadership of the United Nations. They are normally deployed as a consequence of a UN Security Council decision. However, on occasion, the initiative has been taken by the General Assembly.
Operational control belongs to the Secretary-General and his secretariat.

Two kinds

There are two kinds of peacekeeping operations – unarmed observer groups and lightly-armed military forces. The latter are only allowed to employ their weapons for self-defence.
The observer groups are concerned with gathering information for the UN about actual conditions prevailing in an area.
The military forces are entrusted with more extended tasks, such as keeping the parties to a conflict apart and maintaining order in an area.
The first UN peacekeeping mission was a team of observers deployed to the Middle East in 1948, during the 1948 Arab–Israeli War.

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