One of the first acts of Australia’s new Foreign Minister was to represent our nation at the UN General Assembly in New York. During the last week of September, Julie Bishop stood impressively on the world stage and made some commendable statements on behalf of Australia.
Among Bishop’s offerings at the UN General Assembly were two important statements about women’s experiences during and after conflict.
“Sexual violence is a deeply pervasive, often invisible and utterly devastating tool of war that terrorises women, men, boys and girls, and destroys families and communities. It is a grave human rights violation,” explained our first female Foreign Minister on September 24.
Two days later she noted the importance of women’s voices in peace negotiations when dealing with disarmament after conflict. “Transition processes must be inclusive, with women’s participation crucial,” Bishop said as she outlined what she saw as effective approaches to disarmament.
On both counts, Julie Bishop is spot on. Civilian women and children are not only unintended casualties of war but are specifically targeted. In fact, despite the number of casualties overall decreasing in Afghanistan, targeted attacks on civilian women and children have increased by 20% in the past year.
Sexual violence is also an ever present and horrific presence in war. Recent reports of the Libyan army being instructed to use sexual violence as part of their tactics show that such acts of violence remain present in conflict. Countless examples also demonstrate that sexual violence takes place in civil conflict as well as international wars.
Despite this evidence, just 16% of formal peace agreements in the past two decades of conflict have made any reference to women or gender, and just 8% of participants in peace negotiations are women. This is simply unacceptable. And, where Australia plays a peace and security role, we must ensure that our plans and activities are focused on increasing women’s participation in ending conflict.
This week, a new Report Card has been launched that paves the way for our new Foreign Minister to put some of her words on women, peace and security into action.
The Australian Council for International Development (ACFID), the Australian National Committee for UN Women, the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom and the ANU Gender Institute have released the first Civil Society Report Card on Australia’s own National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security. The Report Card finds that progress to date on Australia’s Plan has been sluggish, with little transparency and communication of its progress to civil society groups. We believe that progress on the plan must accelerate, so that the urgent needs of women worldwide are met.
The new Government has a unique opportunity to now lead the global agenda on women, peace and security. With a seat both on the UN Security Council and the UN Women Board, Australia has strong visibility of and influence over the need for prioritising women’s involvement in peace and conflict. Australia has taken up the commitments made in the ground breaking Security Council Resolution 1325, made in the year 2000 which calls for women to be included in all peace processes. In 2012, the then Government announced Australia’s National Action Plan (NAP) for Women, Peace and Security. The NAP aims to ensure that both at home and overseas, Australia listens to and includes the voices of women in defence, peace and security initiatives.
Now is the time to lift our game and to take full advantage of these opportunities. Until now Australia’s focus on women peace and security within the Security Council agenda has been ad hoc. Progress towards achieving the goals within Australia’s National Action Plan has also been slow.
We believe that progress on the plan must accelerate, so that the urgent needs of women worldwide are met.
Women are combatants in conflict, victims of conflict and arbitrators of peace. In the aftermath of crises they need services to support them, access to justice and peace-building that accounts for the specific circumstances they have endured. Societies must be rebuilt as safer places for women and for men, for girls and for boys. When women are represented in conflict and peace negotiations, the benefit extends to the whole of society. As one half of the world’s population, participants in and casualties of war, women’s voices must be heard.
In signing UNSCR 1325 and developing the NAP, Australia recognises the important role women have to play in conflict and peace-building. The newly-elected Government must now speed up progress on Australia’s National Action Plan and report more transparently on the achievements of its goals, strategies and outcomes. Gender should be a cornerstone of Australia’s international relations and obligations. This can only result in a fairer, just and more peaceful world for all.