Squadron Leader Sharon Syme
The United Nations has announced the 2024 recipients of the Military Gender Advocate of the Year Award and the Woman Police Officer of the Year Award.
Squadron Leader Sharon Mwinsote Syme of Ghana will receive the Military Gender Advocate Award and Chief Superintendent Zainab Gbla of Sierra Leone will receive the Woman Police Officer of the Year Award during a ceremony marking the International Day of UN Peacekeepers on 29 May 2025.
The awards will be presented at the UN Headquarters in New York by United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres.
Squadron Leader Sharon Syme of Ghana has been named the 2024 Military Gender Advocate of the Year in recognition of her exceptional commitment in promoting gender equality and empowering women and girls during her tour of duty with the United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA).
Since her deployment in 2024 as the Mission’s Military Gender Adviser, Squadron Leader Syme’s work has directly impacted local communities, ensuring the voices and needs of women and girls are integrated into security and peacebuilding initiatives.
As part of her efforts, she conducted an intensive health campaign for the women and men of the local communities on the dangers and health implications of gender-based violence and harmful traditional practices like child marriage.
Syme also helped strengthen the gender awareness and capacity of UNISFA’s military components, spearheading patrols composed of men and women able to address diverse community needs, and engaging with local women’s groups to promote trust and collaboration.
Sharon’s approach emphasized inclusivity, respect and cultural awareness, setting a benchmark for gender-responsive peacekeeping operations.
“Squadron Leader Syme exemplifies the principles of gender advocacy in peacekeeping,” said Under- Secretary-General for Peace Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix. “Her dedication has not only improved the effectiveness of UNISFA’s operations but also ensured that the mission is more reflective of and responsive to the communities it serves.”
“Applying gender perspectives into daily tasks is the responsibility of every peacekeeper,” Squadron Leader Syme said. “Success comes through diversifying military representation at checkpoints, operating bases and on patrols it also comes from having gender responsive leaders, who listen and respond to the voices of their male and female peacekeepers”.
Superintendent Zainab Gbla of Sierra Leone has been named the Woman Police Officer of the Year for her innovative community engagement initiatives that helped strengthen relations between host communities and the mission while establishing new crime reporting channels in Abyei, where there is no functional police service.
In an area that had no schools when she arrived, she initiated an educational program, providing materials and visual aids for teaching disadvantaged children. She also established a mentorship program for girls.
Projects she also initiated to support crop cultivation and livestock sale at the local markets gave the women sustainable sources of income, allowing them to provide for their families and send their children to school in nearby Abyei town.
Currently serving as UNISFA’s Chief Police Training Officer, Chief Superintendent Gbla spent her teenage years displaced within her home country of Sierra Leone and later as a refugee in Guinea – experiences that motivated her to enter the police service and to empower women affected, like her, by conflict.
“Having been inspired by seeing the positive impact of the police firsthand, including the rebuilding and restructuring of the Sierra Leone Police following years of conflict, Chief Superintendent Gbla embodies the work of the United Nations to improve lives and shape futures,” said Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations, Jean-Pierre Lacroix.
“This award symbolizes the tireless work of the women in uniform who serve under the UN flag,” Chief Superintendent Gbla upon hearing of her award. “Each of us faces unique challenges in our respective missions, yet our collective goal remains the same: to foster peace and protect the vulnerable.”
