Episode
How to lead forces for peace, with Cheryl Pearce - The UN's Acting Military Adviser for Peacekeeping Operations
- Podcast
- Awake At Night
- Published
- Jan 20, 2026
- Duration seconds
- 2157
- Processing state
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Summary
After enlisting at 18, Cheryl Pearce battled rigid gender barriers to rise through the military ranks. Now the UN's Acting Military Adviser for Peacekeeping Operations, the Australian-born Lieutenant General is the highest ranking woman in uniform within the United Nations. "Peace for me, is seeing communities having food security, having water security, education, knowing, you know, as a mum myself, knowing that my children can grow up to feel like that. They can have a life and a future and fulfill their dreams and goals." Lieutenant General Pearce knows what it takes to serve in some of the most difficult places on earth, from East Timor to Afghanistan. In this episode, she reflects on the sources of her mental and physical resilience, on making a robust case for peacekeeping in an age of disinformation, and shares why her family wants her to show her chaotic side once in a while. Photos, transcript and more: https://www.un.org/en/awake-at-night/s12-cheryl-pearce-how-to-lead-forces-for-peace