Major Swathi Shanthakumar won the United Nations (UN) Secretary-General's Award 2025

Key facts

• Major Swathi Shanthakumar, an Indian Army officer serving with the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), won the UN Secretary-General's Award 2025 in the Gender Category.
• She was recognized for her project titled ‘Equal Partners, Lasting Peace’, which focused on strengthening gender-responsive peacekeeping and improving grassroots outreach in Malakal.
• She leads India's first all-woman military engagement team deployed to the UNMISS, conducting foot, river, and air patrols to reach remote and conflict-affected communities.
• The initiative was selected through a UN-wide voting process involving personnel globally and helped create a safer environment for over 5,000 women.
• Major Swathi Shanthakumar is an officer of the Indian Army's Corps of Electronics & Mechanical Engineers and is currently serving with the 3rd Battalion of the Jammu and Kashmir Rifles (3 JAK Rif).
• She is a resident of Bengaluru and completed her engineering in electrical and electronics from New Horizon before joining the Indian Army.