Page 23 - The CoESPU Magazine N 1 - 2018

in three different UN Peacekeeping missions: 2002-2003 UNMIK (Kosovo), 2008-2009 UNMIT
(Timor-Leste) and 2013-2014 UNAMID (Darfur).
On International Women’s Day in March of 2009, Khinu was part of the United Nations Mission In
Timor. Present that day were representatives of the UN’s Gender Unit from the UN Headquarters
in New York. They posed a question, asking what it would take to increase the number of females
participating in UN missions. The UN’s Gender Unit put this question to the group that day
consisting of the UN HQ staff, the Police Commissioner of UNMIT, all of the UN civilian female
staffers, UN CIVPOL members, as well as local female police officers. In the midst of this
discussion, Khinu made the recommendation that if capacity building training were to be provided
to female police officers of developing countries, it would have an immediate impact on the number
of female police officers available to serve in UN Missions. The Gender Officer then spoke with
Khinu and asked her if she
could put together a
proposal for UNMIT to
which she replied in the
affirmative. At that point,
Khinu only had two weeks
left in mission. So while
she did develop a training
proposal, the plan seemed
to fade as she was no
longer there to see that it
moved forward.
So for nine years, the plan
envisioned by Khinu
languished. Then, in Inspector Khinu receives certificate by US COL Gary Mann, CoESPU Deputy
th
March of 2018, Khinu was Director, during the graduation of 8 Training Building Course
selected to attend the CoESPU’s eighth iteration of the Training Building Course. In the first days
of the course, students were paired up and instructed to prepare a training presentation. Khinu
immediately seized upon the opportunity to again present her proposal for increasing the number of
female police officers in UN missions.
Khinu knew firsthand the difficulties of overcoming economic and cultural disadvantages to get to
a point professionally that would allow women to qualify for mission attendance. It is from this
firsthand knowledge that she built a common-sense approach to increasing the number of women
engaged in UN police peacekeeping operations. As she explained, many of the women entering in
to the various police forces are young and economically disadvantaged. Most women in
developing countries have no access to a vehicle, have never learned English, and do not have
sufficient training in firearms to be able to pass a firearms test. All three of these items are part of
the UN pre-deployment test and are the core reason that keep women from participating in UN
peacekeeping missions. In her opinion these are the major hurdles that must be addressed to open

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