When Justice Delivers Dignity, We Move Closer to a World of Peace, Equality for All, Deputy Secretary-General Says at UN Trailblazers Award Ceremony

Following are Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed's remarks at the United Nations Trailblazers Award Ceremony, in New York today:

On behalf of the Secretary-General, it is a true honour to be with you this morning.

We gather to celebrate the third Trailblazer Award for Women Justice and Corrections Officers, and to honour those who bring the rule of law to life, often in places where it hangs by a thread.

Let me begin by thanking the Office of Rule of Law and Security Institutions in the Department of Peace Operations, together with our partners, the co-chairs of the Group of Friends of Corrections in Peacekeeping: Canada, Rwanda and Sweden, for making this celebration possible.

Let me also pay special appreciation to our Special Rapporteur, Margaret Satterhwaite.

Twenty-five years ago, resolution 1325 (2000) transformed how we think about peace and security. It taught us that peace without women is not peace at all; that justice, like peace, must be built by everyone, for everyone.

Yet, a generation later, too many women are still locked out of peace processes. Too many remain under-represented in the justice sector. Too many continue to face the bias, the barriers and the dangers that come with challenging the status quo.

This year we also mark 10 years since the Nelson Mandela Rules and 15 since the Bangkok Rules: Frameworks that remind us that, even behind bars, our humanity must never be lost. They affirm that every person in detention remains a person; that women's rights do not stop at the prison gate; that rehabilitation is possible and that hope belongs to everyone.

Today, we honour the women who make those principles real; women who serve in some of the world's hardest conditions, from the Central African Republic to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, often far from home, away from their families, but always carrying the ideals of the United Nations. They are peacebuilders, they are peacekeepers, and they are pioneers.

Our peace operations give life to these global standards every day.

The women who serve in them defend dignity where it is under assault. They show what it means to lead with compassion and courage, to hold the line between chaos and community.

Among them are this year's outstanding nominees: Sarah Omoka Adole from Nigeria; Lena Ellen Becker from Germany; Victorine Mana from Cameroon; and Saye Ndim from Senegal. Please join me in applauding these remarkable officers.

But, today, we celebrate someone truly exceptional, Olukemi Ibikunle of Nigeria. Through her work, she reminds us that every person, regardless of their past, deserves dignity and deserves a future. An engineer by training and a peacekeeper by calling, Olukemi brought innovation and humanity to the heart of peacekeeping.

In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, a nation that is scarred by conflict, she reimagined prisons as places of transformation. She designed and built facilities that uphold rights, improve staff conditions and create real pathways for rehabilitation. Her model prison blueprint became the national standard, a peacekeeper's vision turned into a country's policy.

Her biogas initiative in Uvira Prison turned waste into energy, improving safety and sustainability. Her food security programmes restored health and hope. Her vocational training initiatives gave people the skills to rebuild their lives and the confidence to start anew.

Her work reminds us that when justice delivers dignity, when institutions serve people, we move closer to the promise of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development: a world of peace, equality and opportunity for all.

Olukemi's story reminds us that peace is not only in the silencing of guns; it is in the presence of justice. It is the everyday work of people who turn broken systems into places of healing. It is the courage to carve hope where others see none.

Olukemi, your leadership and creativity honour your country, Nigeria. They also honour the women who came before you, and they blaze a trail for those that will surely follow and stand on your shoulders.

On behalf of the Secretary-General and the entire United Nations family, I salute you for your vision, your resilience, and your humanity. It is my great honour to present you with this year's Trailblazer Award.