UN peacekeeping missions are required to apply a gender-responsive approach throughout the ‘mission lifecycle’ including planning, operations, resource management and mandate implementation. Yet understanding about what is meant by ‘gender-responsive leadership’ in UN peacekeeping missions, and who is responsible and accountable for advancing these initiatives in missions, remains mixed.

To strengthen awareness of gender-responsive efforts in UN peacekeeping mission contexts while also seeking to close the ‘expectation gap’ in understanding, commitment, and practice, the Stimson’s Protecting Civilian and Human Security program has undertaken a series of video interviews to reflect the varying interpretations and expectations held around gender-responsive leadership in UN peacekeeping settings by actors both within and outside the UN system.

This project is supported by Global Affairs Canada through the Elsie Initiative for Women in Peace Operations.