STATEMENT OF AUSTRALIA AT THE OPEN DEBATE ON WOMEN, PEACE AND SECURITY, OCTOBER, 2015
STATEMENT OF AUSTRALIA, October, 2015
First, Australia is committing an additional 4 million Australian dollars over three years to the Global Acceleration Instrument on Women, Peace and Security and Humanitarian Action, bringing our total contribution to 5.5 million Australian dollars. This is in recognition of the fact that more is needed to support the critical role of women’s organizations in preventing and resolving conflict, building peace and ensuring relief and recovery.
STATEMENT OF AUSTRALIA, October, 2015
Secondly, the women and peace and security agenda must be implemented across the military. Accordingly, the Australian Defence Force is deploying more women and increasing their number in senior decision-making roles; has introduced recruitment targets for women in non-traditional roles; and is developing a gender adviser and female engagement team capability. The Australian Defence Force will also provide a technical expert for women and peace and security to UN-Women for five years from 2016.
STATEMENT OF AUSTRALIA, October, 2015
Our third pledge recognizes that women, girls and women’s organizations are vital to promoting gender equality in countering terrorism and violent extremism. We will therefore support new research to be conducted by Monash University in Melbourne on preventing conflict and countering fundamentalism through women’s empowerment and civil-society mobilization.
STATEMENT OF AUSTRALIA, October, 2015
We call on the United Nations system as a whole to respond to the global study’s recommendations. Women and peace and security must be considered and implemented as part of the Secretary-General’s review of peace operations and the review of the United Nations peacebuilding architecture in addition to this high-level review. Global leaders have now agreed to the historic 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (General Assembly resolution 70/1), recognize the links between development, human rights and peace and security, and are placing gender equality at the heart of these efforts. We must, as a global community, do more to deliver on these promises for women around the world.