October 2, 2018:    On September 26, Chrystia Freeland held a successful Elsie Initiative side event at the United Nations General Assembly. (The Elsie Initiative states that Canada will work with the UN and interested member states to develop innovative approaches to overcome the barriers to women’s meaningful participation in peace operations.) Ms Freeland announced a number of major updates to the Initiative, including the following:

·       1) Canada will be establishing bilateral technical assistance and training partnerships with Ghana Armed Forces and Zambia Police Service;

·       2) The Canadian Armed Forces will undergo the same barrier assessment as Ghana Armed Forces and Zambia Police Service to identify areas for improvement to increase women’s meaningful participation in UN peace operations;

·       3) Canada will support the implementation of the Senegalese Armed Forces’ Gender Integration Strategy; and that

·        4) UN Women, with the full support of the Executive Office of the Secretary General and the Department of Peacekeeping Operations, has requested the establishment of a multi-partner fund in relation to the Elsie Initiative, in order to accelerate the deployment of trained and qualified women to UN peace operations. The UN and Canada will collaborate on the design of this fund with the support of the Multi Partner Trust Fund Office.‎

Learn more about the Elsie Initiative: The Elsie Initiative for Women in Peace Operations

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