Feature: Weight of security: Work of a Chinese female UN security advisor

Shen Lihong speaks during an interview with Xinhua in Accra, Ghana, March 4, 2026. (Xinhua/Tian Sha)

by Gao Jianfei and Justice Lee Adoboe

ACCRA, March 9 (Xinhua) -- "Working for a long time in conflict zones gives you a clearer sense of the weight of security," Shen Lihong said. "It's not an abstract concept; it's the prerequisite for people to live their lives peacefully."

Shen is a security advisor and representative for the United Nations Department of Safety and Security in Ghana, Liberia, and Sierra Leone, the first Chinese national and the first Chinese woman to hold this position.

She joined the UN system in 2007, after a rigorous selection process, leveraging her solid professional skills and fluent English.

Shen has since served in more than 10 countries and regions, including Sudan and Lebanon, safeguarding the security of UN personnel in some of the most challenging and dangerous environments.

Her experience in conflict zones has made her understand that without security, there can be no development, Shen told Xinhua in a recent interview.

As part of her daily routine, she carries out risk assessment, monitors political situations and social trends, and identifies early warning signs.

Shen was among China's first batch of UN police officers and was deployed to the mission area in Liberia in 2005.

"I wanted to see a different world and also hoped to do something for the people in countries afflicted by poverty and conflict," she said.

Being a security officer means constantly confronting danger, Shen said.

In April 2019, as conflict escalated in Libya, Shen experienced a daunting evacuation mission. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres had just concluded a visit to Libya when forces aligned with the "Libyan National Army" based in the east approached the capital.

A bomb landed just 50 meters from the UN compound. That night, Shen received an urgent task: to serve as team leader for the evacuation of 80 international personnel.

The next morning, she led a convoy of 23 armored vehicles, escorted by armed UN security colleagues, crossing active conflict zones to reach Tunisia.

"It was a completely unpredictable road," Shen said. "Every decision was a matter of life and death." She only breathed a sigh of relief after everyone arrived safely.

Her other colleagues were not as lucky.

In early August 2019, just one week after she was transferred from Libya to Ethiopia, three UN security officers were killed in an attack in Benghazi.

"The feeling of losing comrades stays with you forever. It reminds you that security work is never abstract," Shen said.

After the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, Ethiopia faced a severe shortage of masks. Shen participated in coordinating the delivery of aid supplies, including masks. The Chinese Mission to the African Union and the Chinese Embassy in Ethiopia donated epidemic prevention supplies to UN hospitals in Ethiopia, helping to safeguard the health of UN personnel there.

"Having worked in peacekeeping missions in extremely poor and dangerous places, I've become adaptable to working anywhere. It includes enduring loneliness, being resilient, and finding solutions in challenging circumstances," she said. "This experience has greatly helped in adjusting my mindset and cultivating a resilient spirit."

But working in the international security field as a Chinese woman, "I am also aware that I carry a special responsibility," She said.

"This is not just a personal career choice. It also demonstrates that Chinese women are fully capable of participating in global security governance. It also reflects China's positive contribution within the UN system," she said.

Across the world, more than 1,200 Chinese female peacekeepers serve in areas such as medical support, liaison and coordination, mine clearance and explosive ordnance disposal, patrol and observation, as well as promoting gender equality and women's protection. ■

Shen Lihong (L, front) visits a peacekeeping training camp in Ghana in 2025. (Xinhua)

This photo taken in 2006 shows Shen Lihong (2nd, L) serving as a peacekeeping police officer in Liberia. (Xinhua)