UN police team leader in Juba urges more women in leadership roles

Stephanie Konigs, team leader for the patrol team at the Juba field office of the United Nations mission in South Sudan, said her unit’s visibility during foot patrols helps build approachability and trust with displaced communities and local partners. "We are the face of the UNPOL component when we are patrolling and especially during the foot patrol in the IDP camps," she said.

Konigs told listeners she has led a multicultural team in a high-risk environment and that UNPOL presence matters beyond formal mandates. She said the United Nations is committed to achieving gender equality, but that full equality has not yet been reached within the police component. Konigs said visibility matters and that having more women in operational roles sends an important message to local counterparts about what female officers can accomplish.

"We urgently need more female, especially in leadership positions," Konigs said, calling on women in the force to pursue leadership posts. She urged colleagues to "be brave and sometimes be stubborn" and said women with operational experience can lead with "confidence and patience." Konigs framed the appeal as both an operational and representational need: visible female leaders, she said, improve community relations while demonstrating capability to local partners.

Konigs also emphasized the practical setting for her remarks: foot patrols in internally displaced person camps, where she said UNPOL officers are often the most direct point of contact between the mission and residents. She said maintaining a visible, approachable presence during those patrols is a tangible way to show impact in the field.

The remarks did not include proposed policy changes or specific recruitment targets; Konigs focused on urging current female officers to seek leadership roles and on the operational benefits of visibility.