United Nations, May 25 (IANS): A Zimbabwean peacekeeper will receive the 2021 UN Military Gender Advocate of the Year Award, said the Department of Peace Operations in a press release.

Military observer Major Winnet Zharare, 39, served in Bentiu, South Sudan until April 2022 and will receive the award from UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres at a ceremony marking the International Day of UN Peacekeepers on Thursday, Xinhua news agency reported.

"Through her service, she has demonstrated the invaluable role that women play in building trust, advocating for change and forging peace," said Guterres in the press release.

"Her example shows how we will all gain with more women at the decision-making table and gender parity in peace operations."

Zharare was deployed to the UN Mission in South Sudan in November 2020.

Throughout her 17-month-long service, she advocated for gender parity and women's participation, within her own ranks, among local military counterparts, and in host communities, the press release added.