A Nepali peacekeeper serving in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has been named the?recipient?of the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ Woman Police Officer of the Year Award.?
Superintendent Sangya Malla?with?the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ mission in the country,?,?is?Chief of?its?Police Health and Environment Unit, based?in the capital, Kinshasa.?
Ms. Malla, a medical professional by training,?helped establish the unit, which is responsible for implementing policies and procedures concerning the health and well-being of personnel as well as United Nations Police environmental initiatives.?
Safety during crises?
Her contributions have been especially important?during the?ongoing?COVID-19?pandemic, past??outbreaks, and natural and humanitarian crises such as the volcanic eruption in the city of Goma last May.
During that?emergency, her unit alerted the local population and Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ staff of precautionary measures.??
¡°I am honored to receive this award, and I hope it will encourage more young women in my country and around the world to pursue careers in policing, which is still too often viewed as ¡®man¡¯s work¡¯,¡± she said.??
Ms. Malla?was presented with the award by?Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ?Secretary-General Ant¨®nio Guterres?at?a virtual ceremony on Tuesday.?
Representing the best of the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ?
The Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ chief?praised?the ¡°blue helmet¡±?for her work in enhancing the safety and welfare of?Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ peacekeepers?by mitigating their risks from COVID-19 and other threats.?
¡°And she represents something far larger ¡ª the many contributions of women police officers in advancing peace and security around the world,¡± Mr. Guterres?added.?
¡°Through her work,?Superintendent Malla embodies the best of the United Nations.¡±???
Ms. Malla helped develop guidance for preventing and mitigating the spread of COVID-19.??
She has organized over 300 awareness sessions this year on?coronavirus?prevention as well as environmental protection for the local population, Congolese authorities and Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ staff.??
As the?MONUSCO Police¡¯s focal point on COVID-19, she?has?also been disseminating information about vaccines and promoting vaccination efforts.?
