{"id":30818,"date":"2017-03-10T12:30:36","date_gmt":"2017-03-10T01:30:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/?p=30818"},"modified":"2017-03-09T15:24:27","modified_gmt":"2017-03-09T04:24:27","slug":"century-long-battle-peace","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/century-long-battle-peace\/","title":{"rendered":"Women, Peace and Security: a century-long battle for peace"},"content":{"rendered":"
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This article is part of a series on \u2018Women, Peace and Security\u2019 that <\/em>The Strategist\u00a0is publishing\u00a0in recognition of International Women’s Day 2017.<\/em><\/p>\n For over a century, the international women\u2019s civil society movement has advocated for the conviction that lies at the heart of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325: that peace is only sustainable if women are fully included, and that peace is inextricably linked with equality and collaboration of men and women.<\/p>\n Ever since 1915, when 1,200 women met at The Hague<\/a> to discuss proposals to end World War One, the Women, Peace and Security Agenda has been a symbol of solidarity, tenacity and partnership at the international, regional and national levels. Australia has taken a leadership role on the WPS Agenda in our region. The Australian National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security 2012\u20132018<\/em><\/a> (NAP) is the first outward-looking NAP in the Asia\u2013Pacific, which focuses on work in conflict-affected countries. This NAP also shares a journey of collaboration and open discussions with civil society. As a result of these discussions, shadow report cards are written to inform the government about gaps in the implementation of the NAP.<\/p>\n There are “push-backs” from men and women. Most are due to the limited understanding of the context and essence of the Agenda or a perspective that these principles are only relevant to those in conflict zones.\u00a0 A common assumption is that this Agenda is restricted to addressing “women\u2019s issues” advocated by women. For organisations such as the military or the police, the \u2018practical application\u2019 of the Agenda isn\u2019t always apparent at first glance and therefore it\u2019s hard to conceptualise what this looks like on the ground.<\/p>\n Australia has made positive progress as a result of these push-backs. We have seen the ADF \u2018test and adjust\u2019 the Agenda in the operational planning process. We saw this in Exercise Talisman Sabre 15 where it was the first time that UNSCR 1325 was integrated into a major combined exercise, helping to build understanding of how the military can operationalise WPS. Operation Fiji Assist showed that the ADF has adopted a growing awareness and understanding of women\u2019s unique experiences and contributions in humanitarian assistance and disaster response as part of whole-of government response. DFAT\u2019s tremendous work in promulgating the Agenda in our region through series of excellent programs is also a good example.<\/p>\n The challenge for the unconverted is seeing these positive changes because they are subtle, and not immediate. It takes many years to benefit from the Agenda and this is true not only for beneficiaries in conflict or post-conflict areas, but for us in Australia. The difference is, in Australia we can discuss and debate the Agenda\u2019s relevance and importance, and how it\u2019s applied in a non-conflict context. This is a vital contribution to our region.<\/p>\n These opportunities and solutions can always be shared. This doesn\u2019t mean dictating Australia\u2019s solution to our regional partners, but is reciprocal learning of how the Agenda is interpreted and applied in different environments, cultures and norms.<\/p>\n