We have been working across government to implement our commitments under the Women, Peace and Security agenda, and I am proud to see we are achieving results. One hundred per cent of the 1525 deployed personnel from the Australian Defence Force has completed training on Women, Peace and Security – up from 53 per cent in 2013. The Australian Federal Police also increased the number of deployed personnel receiving Women, Peace and Security training from 69 per cent in the 2014 Progress Report, to 85 per cent by December 2015. Australia is one of the leading nations on the implementation of the Women, Peace and Security agenda. I look forward to continuing to work with my Ministerial, civil society and global counterparts to protect and empower women around the world in conflict and post-conflict settings. Senator the Hon Michaelia Cash Minister for Women Minister for Employment Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for the Public Service
3b. Sharing Information with Civil Society Ongoing engagement with civil organisations facilitates government learning through the sharing of experiences and perspectives of a broader range of Women, Peace and Security related practitioners and interested parties. It also enables the sharing of information on government activities relating to Women, Peace and Security. The Interim Review of the National Action Plan recognised the value government places on the role of civil society in implementing the Women, Peace and Security agenda. It also recognised there is a strong desire from civil society to increase this engagement and that resourcing for such engagement was a limiting factor. The Government has been working to improve lines of communication and undertakes a range of activities to facilitate information sharing between the Government and civil society on Women, Peace and Security. Examples of Government progress under Strategy Three, highlighted in the 2015 Third Annual Civil Society Report Card on Australia’s National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security, include a civil society representative participating in the scoping of the Interim Review, canvassing civil society views as part of the Independent Interim Review’s analysis and recommendations, and government engagement with the Australian Civil Society Coalition on Women, Peace and Security. This includes a place for one Coalition member on the Women, Peace and Security Working Group. Defence has engaged broadly across government and civil society to support the development of a defence capability in Women, Peace and Security issues and contribute to international best practice and understanding. This engagement has resulted in a deeper and richer understanding of the Women, Peace and Security agenda and facilitated building a positive profile as a leader amongst militaries globally. Despite the number of information sharing activities dropping compared to the 2014 Progress Report (from 20 to 13), the depth of information sharing has increased, particularly with the inclusion of the civil society representatives on the Working Group and Sub-Committee. Activities undertaken from 1 January 2014 to 31 December 2015 are listed in alphabetical order below. 2014 Progress Report on the Australian National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security 2012-2018 – This is the first Progress Report of the National Action Plan and provides the first comprehensive picture of the actions undertaken across the whole of government to implement the Women, Peace and Security agenda from its commencement in March 2012 to 31 December 2014.17 The report is available on the PMC website at: .
Iraqi internally displaced persons and returnees to newly liberated areas. This included awareness sessions on gender-based violence, response services and case management. Case study: Response to the Syria crisis An independent evaluation of Australia’s response to the Syria crisis, completed by the Office of Development Effectiveness in 2014, found Australia’s response included a clear focus on gender, with a number of DFAT partners implementing programs specifically targeting women and girls, including female-headed households. UNICEF and Save the Children have maintained a particular focus on mothers and children in their Syria responses, consistent with their mandates, while World Food Program targets pregnant and lactating women in its food distributions within Syria. The evaluation also noted Australia’s engagement with UN agencies at headquarter-level on the importance of gender within programming. Provision of Primary Healthcare, and Vocational Training Services for Palestinian Families in the Gaza Strip, 2012–2015, AUD 300,758 Location: Palestinian Territories Partners: Act for Peace National Council of Churches Australia Thematic area: Prevention The Gaza health and vocational training program supports health and livelihood needs of the targeted population of 20,188 people through primary healthcare and market linked vocational training services in Shija’ia, Darraj, Kherbat Al Adas and Al Qarara neighbourhoods in Gaza. Outcomes: A total of 1,625 new pregnant women were newly registered and received the full complement of antenatal care services. At least four antenatal care visits were provided to 97 per cent of pregnant women in the supported neighbourhoods of Shija’ia, Darraj and Rafah. In Darraj, 92.8 per cent of women received three postnatal visits, while the figure was 89.8 per cent in Rafah. Approximately 36.9 per cent of women in Shija’ia received postnatal visits. The lower figure was largely due to the significant level of destruction and displacement in Shija’ia following the 2014 conflict, which impacted on access to the clinics or for Department of Service to Palestinian Refugees health staff visiting people in their homes.