Indian Army's Major Abhilasha Barak wins prestigious UN gender award

Major Abhilasha Barak, the Indian Army's first woman combat helicopter pilot, has won the 2025 UN Military Gender Advocate of the Year Award. She was recognised for her work as FET Commander in UNIFIL and is the third Indian to receive the honour.

Major Abhilasha Barak has been awarded the 2025 UN Military Gender Advocate of the Year Award, Permanent Mission of India to the United Nations said. Barak is recognized for her outreach and community engagement activities for women and adolescent girls and gender sensitization training for peacekeepers.

UN Mission Announces Award

In a post on X, the permanent mission said, "Proud to announce that Major Abhilasha Barak has been awarded the 2025 UN Military Gender Advocate of the Year Award. She is serving with the Indian Battalion as the Commander of the Female Engagement Team (FET) in UNIFIL. Major Abhilasha is also first woman combat helicopter pilot of the Indian Army. She is being recognized for her outreach and community engagement activities for women and adolescent girls and gender sensitization training for peacekeepers. She is the third recipient of the award from India, after Major Suman Gawani (2019) and Major Radhika Sen (2024)."

#IndiaAtUN Proud to announce that Major Abhilasha Barak has been awarded the 2025 @UN Military Gender Advocate of the Year Award. She is serving with the Indian Battalion as the Commander of the Female Engagement Team (FET) in #UNIFIL. Major Abhilasha is also first woman combat… pic.twitter.com/FcAW3OFZul — India at UN, NY (@IndiaUNNewYork) May 22, 2026

Embassy in Beirut Extends Congratulations

The Embassy of India in Beirut also extended greetings on the occasion. In a post on X, the embassy said, "The Embassy extends heartiest congratulations to Major Abhilasha Barak on being honored with the prestigious UN Gender Advocate of the Year Award 2025 by the United Nations. Major Barak served with distinction as the Female Engagement Team (FET) Commander of INDBATT-XXVI."

The Embassy extends heartiest congratulations to Major Abhilasha Barak on being honored with the prestigious UN Gender Advocate of the Year Award 2025 by the United Nations. Major Barak served with distinction as the Female Engagement Team (FET) Commander of INDBATT-XXVI. pic.twitter.com/3iTH91bRcp — India in Lebanon (Embassy of India, Beirut) (@IndiaInLebanon) May 22, 2026

About the UN Gender Advocate Award

The UN Military Gender Advocate of the Year Award is presented annually since 2016 to a military peacekeeper - male or female - who has shown outstanding commitment and leadership in promoting the principles of UN Security Council Resolution Resolution 1325.

The resolution calls on actors to mainstream a gender perspective in all aspects of peacekeeping and peacebuilding and to ensure women's participation in peace and political processes. The Resolution also calls for the protection from, and prevention of, conflict-related sexual violence and for an expansion of the role and contribution of women in UN operations, including of uniformed women peacekeepers. (ANI)

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