New York, 9 September 2025 – The Elsie Initiative Fund for Uniformed Women in Peace Operations (EIF) announced today that the Tanzania People’s Defence Force (TPDF), in partnership with UN Women Tanzania, has received funding for a landmark initiative to conduct a barrier assessment study to identify and address barriers to women’s participation in United Nations (UN) peacekeeping operations.
The study will adopt the Measuring Opportunities for Women in Peace Operations (MOWIP) methodology, developed by the Geneva Centre for Security Sector Governance (DCAF) and the Gender and Security Sector (GSS) Lab at Cornell University. The assessment will identify institutional, cultural, and operational challenges within the TPDF, with a focus on those affecting uniformed women’s participation before, during, and after deployment.
This project marks a significant step forward in Tanzania’s commitment to UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security (WPS), following the launch of the country’s first Tanzania National Action Plan on Women Peace and Security (TNAP) 2025–2029. The research will be implemented in collaboration with the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) Tanzania and the University of Dar es Salaam, with UN Women Tanzania serving as the fund recipient.
The project is the latest initiative in a continued partnership between UN Women in Tanzania, the Government, and the TPDF to advance the WPS agenda, which includes a series of pre-deployment trainings to equip military personnel with skills to integrate gender perspectives in all aspects of their operations.
Tanzania plays a key role in international peace efforts as one of the largest troop-contributing countries from East Africa to UN Peacekeeping Operations in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA), Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO), and Lebanon (UNIFIL). Of Tanzania’s 1,463 troops currently deployed, 153 are women, representing 10.4 per cent. The project aims to increase this figure to over 17 per cent by 2028, with targeted interventions informed by the barrier assessment findings.
“Transforming peacekeeping to be truly inclusive requires intentional investment in institutional change. Through the Elsie Initiative Fund, UN Women is proud to work with the Tanzania People’s Defence Force in identifying and addressing systemic barriers that impede women’s full and effective participation across all phases of the deployment cycle. This partnership stands as a testament to our shared commitment to advancing the Women, Peace and Security agenda through evidence-based policymaking and transformative action,” said Katherine Gifford, UN Women Deputy Country Representative to Tanzania.
“The TPDF is proud to lead this initiative and reaffirm our commitment to gender equality in peace operations, empowering our uniformed women to achieve their meaningful participation, and better serve vulnerable communities in peace support operations contexts”, said General Jacob John Mkunda, Chief of Defence Forces.
About the Elsie Initiative Fund (EIF)
Established by the United Nations and Canada in 2019, the Elsie Initiative Fund is an innovative, multilateral fund that aims to accelerate progress toward the United Nations’ gender targets in line with Security Council resolutions and the United Nations Uniformed Gender Parity Strategy 2018–2028.
Funded by contributions from Australia, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, the Republic of Korea, and the United Kingdom, the EIF supports the sustainable deployment and meaningful participation of uniformed women peacekeepers by providing financial assistance and incentives. For more information on the EIF, please visit elsiefund.org and follow @ElsieFund on X and LinkedIn.
About UN Women
UN Women is the United Nations entity dedicated to gender equality and the empowerment of women. As a global champion for women and girls, UN Women was established to accelerate progress in meeting their needs worldwide.
Media contacts:
Elsie Initiative Fund: Niveen Muiz niveen.muiz@unwomen.org
