In today’s complex and evolving peacekeeping environments, the inclusion of women is not just a matter of equity—it is a strategic imperative. Recognizing this, the Elsie Initiative for Women in Peace Operations, was launched to identify and address the systemic barriers preventing women’s full and meaningful participation in peacekeeping.
Led by Global Affairs Canada, the Elsie Initiative for Women in Peace Operations focuses specifically on uniformed women serving in police and military roles. One of the outcomes of this initiative has been the recognition that facilities and infrastructure must evolve to support gender-responsive deployment.
Transforming Infrastructure
Established in 2019, the Elsie Initiative for Field Missions is a project of the Elsie Initiative for Women in Peace Operations, focusing specifically on the physical environments in which peacekeepers operate. By pioneering gender-responsive infrastructure, equipment, and logistics, the field missions’ component has become a catalyst for change, raising the bar for women and for all peacekeepers, to ensure that they can effectively and safely serve in missions around the world.
Historically, peacekeeping camps were designed with a one-size-fits-all approach, often overlooking the specific requirements of women. The Initiative has addressed this gap by introducing human-centered engineering design standards that prioritize mental and physical wellbeing, privacy, and social interaction.
Why Infrastructure Matters for Women in Peacekeeping
Women bring unique strengths to peacekeeping missions, including enhanced access to vulnerable populations and improved community engagement. However, their ability to contribute meaningfully depends on having safe, functional, and inclusive living and working environments.
Facilities that lack privacy, adequate lighting, or gender-specific amenities can discourage participation and compromise safety. The Elsie Initiative for Field Missions directly addresses these issues by ensuring that infrastructure is not only functional but also enabling—supporting women’s wellbeing and operational effectiveness.
Women play a critical role in peacekeeping missions. Their ability to contribute meaningfully depends on having safe, functional, and inclusive living and working environments.
Transforming the Peacekeeping Landscape
Despite the clear benefits of female participation, structural barriers have long hindered their involvement. Peacekeeping camps were historically designed without consideration for gender-specific needs. Ablution blocks included urinals, walkways were poorly lit, and internet access was limited—an issue particularly challenging for mothers needing to stay connected with their children in their home country.
The Elsie Initiative for Field Missions was created to address these challenges head-on. Through extensive field visits, interviews, research and document reviews, the Initiative identified 95 human-centered engineering design recommendations across four key dimensions: mental wellbeing, physical wellbeing, privacy, and social interaction. These recommendations have redefined gender-responsive standards for infrastructure, equipment engineering manuals, and logistics in peacekeeping environments.
Some of these recommendations have already been embedded into global contracts and influencing procurement practices, creating enabling environments, and removing barriers to women’s participation. Others are in the process of being integrated, signaling a broader shift toward inclusive design in peace operations.
Pilot Projects: Real-World Impact
The impact of the Elsie Initiative for Field Missions is visible across six pilot projects in UN missions, where accommodations have been upgraded to meet the needs of female personnel.
- MONUSCO’s Kinshasa camp provides housing for 90 Bangladeshi policewomen in refurbished living spaces with improved ablutions, shared kitchens, and shaded pathways.
- In MONUSCO’s Beni camp, 66 Malawian women benefit from green recreational areas, enhanced laundry facilities, and upgraded structures.
- MINUSMA’s Kidal camp introduced prefabricated housing with attached ablution capsules and multifunctional recreational spaces for 56 Guinean battalion women. This mission has since closed.
- UNISFA’s Doukra camp features double-occupancy housing, concealed ablution access, and quiet outdoor spaces for 50 Indian battalion women.
- MINUSCA’s Bangassou compound and Bouar camp offer multifunctional buildings with gyms, lounges, libraries, saloons, badminton courts, and gazebos for Rwandan and Senegalese female units.
These projects adopt a cluster layout approach, promoting outdoor common spaces that enhance social interaction and safety. The result is not just improved living conditions but a new benchmark for inclusive design in global peace operations.
A Shift in Mindset
As the Chief Engineer of the Office of Supply Chain Management (OSCM), Olatunji Ayeni, noted, “I visited some of the camps to see what we needed to do to accommodate women and make them more comfortable. When I started looking at what women needed, I was struck by how much women’s needs just had not been considered before. The example that struck me most was noticing a long queue outside the women’s bathroom each morning and then realizing that the bathrooms had been built not for women, but rather with men in mind because they had urinals instead of additional toilets. It was very clear we had to completely change the way we were thinking about facility and camp design.”
This shift in thinking is at the heart of the Elsie Initiative for Field Missions, and it includes a shift in thinking about facilities, equipment and logistics. By centering the lived experiences of female peacekeepers, the Initiative is not only improving their wellbeing but also strengthening the effectiveness of peacekeeping missions worldwide.
Toward Inclusive Peacekeeping
Gender-responsive infrastructure is not a luxury—it is a prerequisite for effective peacekeeping. The Elsie Initiative for Field Missions, managed by OSCM, demonstrates how thoughtful design can remove barriers, foster inclusion, and enhance mission success.
As peacekeeping continues to evolve, the Initiative stands as a model for how facilities and infrastructure can be leveraged to support women as vital contributors to global security.