Chief Warrant Officer Alizeta Kabore Kinda (in the pic) of Burkina Faso, who currently serves in the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA), has been awarded the 2022 United Nations Woman Police Officer Award with a documentary presentation on her works in a UNCOPS ceremony co-sponsored by Canada and Norway held on Wednesday afternoon in the United Nations as it was introduced in 2011 to recognize the exceptional contributions of women police officers to UN peace operations and to promote women’s empowerment. 

This year Alizeta Kinda has been honoured for her work to boost trust between the authorities and local communities, including survivors of gender-based violence. She supports the Malian Security Forces in the Ménaka region to promote and improve understanding of gender, child protection, human rights, and civil protection issues.

Her efforts have led to more victims of sexual and gender-based violence coming forward to report their cases to local authorities and to receive medical care – now three or more per month, up from none before her arrival. She has also focused on expanding the number of girls in schools and reducing early marriages.

In the award ceremony the UN Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations, Jean-Pierre Lacroix said about her that, “Through her actions, she embodies a more representative, efficient police service that is better equipped to serve and protect the public.”

Notably, this award ceremony was conducted by the first Indian and the first woman to head the UN Police Division, Kiran Bedi, who was officially invited after her retirement of 17 years by the Secretary General António Guterres himself.

Pic from https://news.un.org