Although his parents were dedicated to teaching and did not come from a military career, Rear Admiral Guillermo Ríos was born in the city of Punta Alta, very close to where Puerto Belgrano lies, the main Military Naval Base of the Argentine Republic, an influential geographical reference. in his decision to enter the Naval Military School in 1983, the year after the Malvinas War.
That was the beginning of an extensive career that included multiple promotions in the Argentine Navy with notable participation in various United Nations Peace Missions. His first deployment was to the UN Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP) in 1993 and 1994; Subsequently, between 1997 and 1998, he served as supervisor of Humanitarian Demining in the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) in Angola. In 2007, he joined the contingent as a military observer in the United Nations Truce Supervision Organization (UNTSO) mission in the Middle East.
On September 13, 2022, after an arduous selection process, he assumed the most important professional challenge of his life: leading the United Nations Mission in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP), where he is in charge of 44 military observers of 13 different nationalities. and 74 civilians of which 49 are local. His administration began at the UN headquarters, where he met with the Secretary GeneralAntónio Guterres, to then disembark in his new dual role of Head of Mission and Head of Observers, in which he will remain until September of this year.
“The mission’s military and civilian personnel operate on both sides of the border. One part is in Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan, where there are seven field stations. The other part of the mission is in Srinagar where I am now, the heart of Indian-administered Kashmir, very far from New Delhi, where there are three field stations. The mandate that we have is to report to the Security Councilthrough the UN Department of Peace Operations, any news that exists regarding any failure to ceasefire. “We are here to try to avoid a conflict between both armies, between both armed forces.”
Family Service and Sacrifice
All personnel who decide to be part of UN peace operations understand that they will have to postpone family and personal aspects. In almost 20 months that Rear Admiral Ríos has led the Mission in India and Pakistan, he was only able to return to Argentina once, on the occasion of the graduation of one of his three children. However, he was able to live for a few months in 2023 and others in 2024 with his wife in Islamabad.
This mission, being bipartite, requires personnel to settle for half a year on each side of the border, and when it is Pakistan’s turn, the personnel’s family can accompany them. The rear admiral’s children did not attend because they could not interrupt their university studies.
“My family always supported me in these types of issues.and I have to thank my wife a lot, since when one makes these long absences, they are the ones who carry out the family routine. I have had to be alone on several missions, and on others in which I have been able to take my family I had the possibility of them coming with me. My children are grown today, being away from the family is not easy, but now, unlike when I went to Cyprus in 1993, we communicate every day by video call and it seems that one is together with them, specifically it allows the distance becomes more bearable,” he assured.
The importance of women in Peace Operations
Gender parity is a UN priority across all departments of the organization, and is sometimes more challenging to achieve in peacekeeping missions because deployments mean that women must relegate family care duties.
In this sense, Rear Admiral Ríos said with enthusiasm that: “Currently, among the 44 observers we have the first woman from the Argentine Army on this mission. “Argentina has precisely been a pioneering country in terms of the number of women in the Armed Forces, in high command ranks and in participation in UN peacekeeping missions.”
He continued emphatically expressing: “Here in the Mission We have 23% female deployment among the 44 observersAlso in the area of local and international civilian personnel, the UN appeals for parity, and in the recruitments we do we seek the incorporation of women, given the equality of capacity we give preponderance to women.
Last year it was my turn to speak on behalf of the military who are in charge of peace missions at a conference in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on gender parity and I highlighted that the contribution of women in certain countries is crucial because it allows approach to the local population, especially with children and other women, who feel another level of confidence when communicating.
The presence of a female military observer makes possible and facilitates that connection with the local female population“It is very noticeable every time we visit control areas in both countries, it is an issue linked to local customs, more patriarchal traditions, in which it is always the man who speaks with the male troops.”
Essential values of blue helmets
Given this premise, the rear admiral was categorical in highlighting that they do not differ from those promoted in the armed forces.
“It requires professionalism, discipline, loyalty, obedience, teamwork, and I would say that they also coincide with those values that the United Nations considers fundamental values: impartiality, empathy, the ability not to interfere with the mandate but rather to fulfill it. according to UN requirements. “Beyond the training that we military members have, the training that we carry out in the preparation centers for UN peacekeepers (…) leads you to know the international rules that the United Nations requires for a contingent or observer.”
He also mentioned that when leading a group made up of personnel with different nationalities It is essential to promote coexistence between multiracial and multiracial members.
“Although I would say that the military, despite coming from different nations, have a similar education and training, with the same values, and that leads us to understand each other and interact well quickly despite the differences.
Great friendships can be strengthened in missions, because many hours are shared, vicissitudes are faced, support is received when family distance affects, and one is always left with relationships that persist. I have friends from previous missions, we continue writing to each other, we visit each other. mutually.”
Mental health
For Rear Admiral Ríos, the mental health of peacekeepers is extremely important.
“What we do in this mission to combat stress and provide support in the face of separation from family and affection are well-being tasksin which it is about
Secure all necessary ground wire. We generate activities when operational tasks allow it, including some sports events, and the medal ceremony twice a year, as well as conferences where specialized personnel come to discuss various topics, including stress management,” he explains.
Added to this are civilian personnel, who suggests useful tips for adaptation and integration after deployment and the monitoring of the health status of each observer by a doctor who continually visits them throughout the stations.
Log of two years of mission
A few months after finishing his term and reflecting on the experiences and learning acquired in these almost two years of mandate, he assures that he takes from this experience the pride of having represented Argentina in this relevant position.
“I take with me detailed knowledge of the management of the United Nations at this level, because At this moment I am the representative of the Secretary General to India and Pakistanand I had the opportunity to participate in the annual conferences, sit with special envoys and representatives in peace missions and political missions that the UN has throughout the world. “I have felt complete in my career as a Navy officer and this position has been an extra, a unique possibility.”
Regarding his personal performance, he expressed gratitude for having achieved a beautiful human group, made up of personnel of various nationalities, and not only in the field of the mission but also in the relationship with civilians, with the local population both in Pakistan and India. .
“One can see what day-to-day life is like in a conflict area in which citizens carry out their normal lives in the best way possible. The situation, although unpredictable, is calm and the presence of the UN facilitates the peaceful situation that exists.”
There is no doubt that the actions of the United Nations contribute to world peace, allowing a conflict situation to be brought to a status quo. Peace missions help ensure that those people who are under some type of war or armed conflict can develop their lives normally thanks to the presence or actions of the United Nations.
Finally, and when referring to the UN Peace Personnel Day, he expressed his gratitude “for the commitment that” the blue cacos “have taken by participating in peace missions representing their countries and providing all the professionalism to
that peacekeeping can continue to be effective in any conflict area around the world.”
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