This project profile page contains information about The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon project including project results, impact, and effective practices. This page will be updated annually in line with EIF project reporting requirements.
| Mission | Updates | |||||||||
| 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | ||||||
| Total | % | Total | % | Total | % | Total | % | Total | % | |
| UNIFIL | 586 | 5.68% | 631 | 5.44% | 682 | 7.06% | 721 | 7.56% | 816 | 8.41% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Staff Officer | 28 | 13.56% | 25 | 12.16% | 24 | 11.68% | 29 | 13.92% | 24 | 11.34% |
| Troops | 558 | 5.52% | 606 | 6.31% | 657 | 6.96% | 692 | 7.42% | 792 | 8.34% |
The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) was established in 1978 by Security Council resolutions 425 and 426 to confirm the withdrawal of foreign forces from southern Lebanon, restore international peace and security, and assist the Government of Lebanon in re-establishing its effective authority in the area. The mission’s mandate was expanded in 2006 under resolution 1701 to include monitoring the cessation of hostilities and supporting the Lebanese Armed Forces in maintaining stability in southern Lebanon.
UNIFIL comprises around 10,000 peacekeepers from over 40 countries, along with a civilian component. It conducts patrols, facilitates humanitarian access, supports demining activities, and works closely with Lebanese authorities to ensure security and stability along the Blue Line. The mission continues to play a critical role in maintaining calm and preventing escalation in its area of operations.
This project, supported by the Elsie Initiative Fund, aimed to construct and upgrade accommodation and facilities for Ghanaian women peacekeepers deployed to UNIFIL. It followed key guidelines and recommendations from the Department of Operational Support’s Elsie Initiative for Field Missions on gender-responsive camp and accommodation design, developed to improve the working and living conditions of women peacekeepers.
Works were completed at GHANBATT HQ and forward positions, in line with UN policy on space allocation and dedicated facilities. UNIFIL’s Mission Support and Engineering teams managed implementation, maintenance planning, and sustainability measures. The infrastructure was also designed for continued use by other contingents committed to gender targets, should Ghana’s deployment conclude early. This was the first EIF-funded project in a DPO mission directly linked to a specific T/PCC contribution and is expected to serve as a model for replication in other peacekeeping contexts. The overall project risk was assessed as low.
The project also serves as a demonstration to other UN and regional peacekeeping missions of the types of initiatives that can be undertaken to support increased deployment of uniformed women—particularly when carried out in close cooperation with a T/PCC fully committed to advancing women’s participation in peace operations.
EIF OUTCOME 4
IMPROVED WORKING/LIVING CONDITIONS IN UNITED NATIONS MISSIONS
Construction
of gender-sensitive
accommodation
Construction of gender-sensitive accommodation, ablutions, and welfare area to enable UNFIL to accommodate an increased number of Ghanaian women peacekeepers (from 137 to 173)
% women
peacekeepers
surveyed
(29/40) reported being satisfied with project deliverables, especially the ability to dress in private, the size of the rooms, and having somewhere safe to relax after the work day
% Increase in the
number of women
peacekeepers
19% Increase as of September 2022 in the number of women peacekeepers from the Ghanaian battalion deployed from UNIFIL from 16%
% women
peacekeepers
surveyed
(39/40) believe that these improved living conditions can encourage more women peacekeepers to deploy to UNIFIL
US$357,181
US$357,181 ($46,149 unspent and refunded) = $311,030
UNIFIL
UNIFIL
6 months
23 December 2021
27 January 2022
31 October 2022
6 months
Construction of six gender-sensitive accommodation modules, two cinder-block ablution facilities, and a welfare area in several UNIFIL positions to support the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) to deploy an increased number of uniformed Ghanaian women in the Ghanaian Battalion (GHANBATT)
The project significantly improved the working and living conditions for Ghanaian women peacekeepers deployed to UNIFIL by providing dedicated, gender-responsive accommodation and facilities at GHANBATT HQ and forward positions. These enhancements enabled Ghana to deploy a Gender Strong Unit (GSU), with a substantially increased number of women, surpassing the UN’s gender parity targets.
The project also demonstrated how infrastructure investment—aligned with UN standards and implemented in close coordination with a committed T/PCC—can directly support the increased and meaningful participation of uniformed women in peace operations. By addressing key structural barriers to deployment, the initiative contributed to institutional change within UNIFIL and provided a replicable model for other missions.
Gender Equality and Women, Peace and Security Resource Package | United Nations Peacekeeping, January 2020
Implementing a Gender Perspective into the Military Component of United Nations Peacekeeping Operations, 1 March 2023
Gender-Responsive United Nations Peacekeeping Operations, 1 May 2024
Case Study – United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon, R Nagel, K Fin, J Maenza, May 2021
“We will have everybody on board”: How the Elsie Initiative Fund and Ghana Armed Forces support Gender parity in UNIFIL; UN Peacekeeping
Advancing Women peacekeepers role in UNIFIL; UNIFIL, 2018
A First in UN Peacekeeping – gender-sensitive accommodation, UNIFIL September 2022
– Article | Video
The Elsie Initiative Fund supports women in peacekeeping in UNIFIL, January 2022
Lebanon NAP 2019-2022
