This project profile page contains information about Uruguay Armed Forces project including project results, impact, and effective practices. This page will be updated annually in line with EIF project reporting requirements.
| T/PCC | Updates | |||||||||
| 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | ||||||
| Total | % | Total | % | Total | % | Total | % | Total | % | |
| Uruguay | 82 | 7.21% | 72 | 6.59% | 72 | 6.79% | 63 | 6.07% | 60 | 6.22% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Experts on Mission | 1 | 9.09% | 2 | 15.38% | 3 | 21.43% | 5 | 35.71% | 3 | 20.00% |
| Individual Police | 3 | 30.00% | 3 | 50.00% | 4 | 57.14% | 1 | 33.33% | 0 | / |
| Staff Officer | 4 | 20.00% | 4 | 20.00% | 2 | 10.00% | 1 | 5.00% | 0 | / |
| Troops | 74 | 6.75% | 63 | 5.98% | 63 | 6.18% | 56 | 5.59% | 57 | 6.12% |
The Uruguay Armed Forces (UAF), comprising the Army, Navy, and Air Force, operate under the Ministry of National Defence. Since 1985, the UAF has undergone significant reforms to align with national legislation and Uruguay’s commitments to human rights and international cooperation. These included updates to training systems, internal policy restructuring, and a clearer definition of the Armed Forces’ role in support of national defence and foreign policy. Peace operations are a core element of Uruguay’s foreign policy and enjoy broad national support. Participation in UN peace operations is a sovereign decision of the State, and personnel may only deploy on a voluntary basis.
The UAF engages in a range of international cooperation activities, including peacekeeping deployments and training. A Gender Division was established in 2012 within the Ministry of National Defence, and each UAF branch has mechanisms to address gender issues, sexual harassment, and workplace harassment. The National Support System for Peacekeeping Operations includes a legal department that handles sexual exploitation and abuse cases, as well as paternity claims involving deployed personnel, in line with Ministry protocols.
Since the 1990s, Uruguay has taken steps to advance gender equality in the defence sector. Women now serve across ranks and functions, including in peacekeeping roles, following their admission to military academies and officer training. In 2022, Uruguay adopted its first National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security (2022–2025), developed in coordination with key ministries and the Human Rights Secretariat. That same year, Uruguay launched its first national WPS Observatory within the College of Defence to gather data, track progress, and promote information exchange.
Uruguay was also one of seven countries to pilot the Measuring Opportunities for Women in Peace Operations (MOWIP) barrier assessment in 2020, implemented by DCAF – the Geneva Centre for Security Sector Governance and Cornell University Gender and Security Sector Lab’s (GSS Lab), with funding from Canada and Norway.
The UAF project aims to increase the deployment of uniformed women in United Nations peace operations by addressing key barriers identified in Uruguay’s 2020 MOWIP assessment. These include household constraints, limited awareness of deployment criteria, gender stereotypes restricting access to operational roles, and negative peacekeeping experiences that affect women’s willingness to deploy. The project takes a comprehensive approach to improving conditions for women in the UAF, with a strong focus on expanding the pool of eligible and willing personnel.
Key activities include information and recruitment campaigns, international exchanges to highlight women’s contributions in peacekeeping, and targeted support for caregivers, such as school transport and scholarships. A Mobile Information and Education Team (MIET) will work directly with UAF personnel—particularly women in non-operational roles—to raise awareness, assess deployment readiness, and connect them to training. The project also promotes more equal access to operational roles and aims to embed long-term change through a training policy directive and regular perception surveys. Implemented in partnership with Uruguay’s Ministry of Defence, the project is managed by UN Women Uruguay, a long-standing partner supporting national efforts to advance gender equality. The Uruguayan Agency for International Cooperation (AUCI) is an enabling partner providing project oversight, coordination and information-sharing at national level in line with their mandate to further national development projects.
EIF OUTCOME 3
INTERNAL AWARENESS-RAISING
UAF
personnel
sensitised
777 Uruguay Armed Forces personnel (377 women and 400 men) sensitised about United Nations Peacekeeping Operations, deployment criteria, roles, and tasks during 16 information sessions delivered by two Mobile Information and Education Teams (MIETs)
• 50 per cent of women expressed an interest in deployment following these sessions
• 92.8 per cent of survey respondents (666 out of 718) reported an increased understanding about United Nations Peacekeeping Operations deployment, roles and tasks following these sessions
uniformed
women sensitised
439 uniformed women sensitised about United Nations Peacekeeping Operations opportunities (33 women at the Uruguay Armed Forces 2nd International Conference, 29 women at awareness-raising sessions in concentration units, 377 women during MIET sessions)
conference
on UN women’s
contribution to
peacekeeping
1 international conference held on women’s contributions to United Nations Peacekeeping Operations featuring experience-sharing among 235 participants (117 in-person participants, including 33 military women and 31 military men, and 118 online participants)
• 70 per cent of uniformed women attendees who had little or no prior knowledge of United Nations Peacekeeping Operations, or held a negative perception, reported a positive view after attending the conference, according to a post-conference survey measuring changes in participants’ understanding of peace operations
internal
campaign
1 internal information campaign on women’s participation and contributions to United Nations Peacekeeping Operations, including deployment requirements and opportunities (2,103 pamphlets)
EIF OUTCOME 3
EXTERNAL AWARENESS-RAISING AND RECRUITMENT
external
campaign
1 external communications campaign with specific messaging for women’s roles in the Uruguay Armed Forces and United Nations peacekeeping opportunities (5 TV appearances, 1 radio broadcast, 1 booklet for children)
EIF OUTCOME 3
GENDER-SENSITIVE MEASURES TO ADDRESS HOUSEHOLD CONSTRAINTS
% women
received benefits
for their children
25 per cent of eligible women (3 out of 12) applied for and received education and transportation benefits for their children (under age 12) before their United Nations Peacekeeping Operations deployment in 2024
women and
1 single father
applied for
benefits
7 women and 1 single father applied for, and are eligible to receive education and transportation benefits for their 2025 deployment
EIF OUTCOME 3
INTERNAL AWARENESS-RAISING
UAF
personnel
sensitised
656 UAF personnel (379 women and 277 men) sensitised about UN Peacekeeping Operations, deployment criteria, roles, and tasks during 12 informative sessions delivered by two mobile information and education teams (MIET)
• 49 per cent of women expressed an interest in deployment following these sessions.
• 82 per cent of participants self-reported enhanced knowledge about UN Peacekeeping Operations deployment, roles and tasks following these sessions
uniformed
women sensitised
61 uniformed women sensitised about UN Peacekeeping Operations opportunities (32 women at the UAF international conference, 26 women at awareness-raising sessions)
conference
on UN women’s
contribution to
peacekeeping
1 international conference conducted on women’s contributions to UN Peacekeeping Operations and experience-sharing with 60 military personnel participants (32 women and 28 men) and 35 online civilian participants (3 men and 32 women)
• 80 per cent of uniformed women who attended the conference and who had no information about UN Peacekeeping Operations, or a negative perception of peacekeeping, reported having a positive perception after the conference, according to a perception survey designed to measure knowledge gained from the conference, on participants’ perceptions about peace operations
internal
campaign
1 internal information campaign about women’s participation and contributions to UN Peacekeeping Operations
EIF OUTCOME 3
EXTERNAL AWARENESS-RAISING AND RECRUITMENT
external
campaign
1 external communications campaign with specific messaging for women to join the UAF and UN peacekeeping opportunities (3 TV appearances, 1 radio broadcast, 1 information booklet, 8 testimonial videos, 3 website posts)
EIF OUTCOME 3
GENDER-SENSITIVE MEASURES TO ADDRESS HOUSEHOLD CONSTRAINTS
women
applied for
benefits
7 women applied for education and transportation benefits for their children before their UN Peacekeeping Operations deployment (benefits to be rolled out in Q1 2024)
US$1,105,678
US$1,105,678
Uruguay Armed Forces
UN Women Uruguay
Uruguayan Agency of International Cooperation (AUCI)
25 months
23 August 2022
7 September 2022
31 March 2026
40 months
The UAF project aims to increase the percentage of women deployed to UN peace operations from 6.6% to 11% by 2024 by addressing key barriers identified in the 2020 MOWIP assessment. Through activities such as family support, awareness campaigns, and a study on access to combat roles, the project seeks to create more enabling conditions for women’s meaningful participation. Its results are designed to be sustained over time: training improvements will be formally incorporated into recruitment and deployment preparation processes, and a pool of female instructors will be integrated into ENOPU to support national and international training. A dedicated budget line covering the period 2025–2029 is expected to be included in the next Budget to ensure continuity beyond the project’s lifetime. By embedding gender-responsive practices within institutional systems and planning for regular evaluations, the project aims to strengthen Uruguay’s long-term capacity to promote gender equality in peacekeeping.
Peace Stories – Short Uruguayan Stories. A booklet for families shares six personal stories from military personnel deployed on UN peacekeeping missions, united by their commitment to service and peace.
Uruguay: Caretaking support helps promote women’s participation in armed forces; UN Web TV, 25 March 2024
Interviews with UAF members, on addressing barriers to the meaningful participation of Women in Peacekeeping Operations
2023: 9 testimonies
2024: 5 testimonies
2025: 3 testimonies
Summary: Reflections from national and UN partners on the UAF-EIF project to increase women’s participation in UN peace missions.
