Senior nurse Ana Beatriz Cisneros Rabell, a member of the Mexican Army, is commissioned as an international observer in the United Nations Verification Mission in Colombia. This is the second time that she has been deployed in Colombia by the Mexican Army, the first time in 2016, when the Colombian government’s peace agreement with the FARC-EP was signed.
In an interview with the UN Information Center in Mexico, Major Cisneros Rabell expressed: “I was in that first stage, which was the handing over of weapons by ex-combatants and now I am fortunate to be working directly on the ground, precisely with communities that have been affected by the conflict.
The oldest nurse considers the experiences she has had on this mission very pleasant, she comments that the first time she had to live in the camp of the tripartite mechanism, where she lived with ex-combatants and government personnel.
“I was able to witness the positive impact of the peace process in the life of an ex-combatant, who was able to reunite with her family and fulfill her dream of forming her own,” she says.
The senior nurse emphasized the importance of working as a team with other peacekeepers, the Colombian army and police, as well as with social leaders, human rights defenders, and women’s organizations. Likewise, she expressed her pride in representing Mexico and the Secretariat of National Defense in the commitment to the Women’s Peace and Security agenda, which seeks to incorporate gender equality in all efforts to prevent, maintain, and consolidate peace.
Women and peacekeeping
As peacekeeping has evolved, women have become increasingly involved, enhancing the effectiveness of operations.
Women are deployed in all areas (as police officers, military and civilians) and have had a positive impact in peacekeeping environments, standing out in supporting the role of women in peacebuilding tasks and the protection of Your rights.
In all areas of peacekeeping, women have shown that they can perform the same tasks, at the same level, and under the same difficult conditions as their male counterparts.
Mexican troops deployed in the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali.
Aviator pilot in Mali
The UN Information Center in Mexico also spoke with Lieutenant Colonel Alberto Guerrero Salazar, a Mexican Air Force pilot, who is deployed in the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA).
In his role as training officer in the 7th Training and Evaluation section, he coordinates the induction course for personnel joining the mission and provides training for military contingents.
Lieutenant Colonel Guerrero Salazar stated that for him it is “an honor to have been selected by the Ministry of National Defense to fill a position of this nature.”
Mexico in UN peacekeeping operations
Mexico’s first major contribution to UN peacekeeping operations came in 1992, when it sent more than a hundred police officers to the UN Observer Mission in El Salvador (ONUSAL).
In 2015, Mexico deployed uniformed personnel to the then United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) and since then it has participated in ten UN peacekeeping operations in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Middle East, the Organization notes.
On May 29 of this year, the UN celebrates the International Day of Peacekeepers and commemorates the 75th anniversary of United Nations peacekeeping operations. The theme on this occasion, “Peace Starts With Me”, recognizes the contribution and efforts of UN peacekeepers, together with many partners, including the communities they serve, to ensure peace and progress. .
