Progress Report: Australian National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security 2012-2018

The Australian National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security 2012-2018 (National Action Plan) was launched in 2012. The National Action Plan guides whole of government actions to implement the United Nations Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1325 (2000) and related UNSCRs encompassing the Women, Peace and Security agenda. The National Action Plan addresses five thematic areas and five strategies. Each of the strategies identifies the required actions and responsible agencies.

This paper is a report of progress against these actions supported by a narrative addressing Australian initiatives. This report provides tangible evidence of Australia’s valuable contribution to the WPS agenda. It outlines our contributions designed to advance women’s human rights, women’s full and meaningful participation in decision making processes of conflict prevention, peace-building and peace-keeping and ultimately support women change their lives for the better. This is the third progress report of the National Action Plan, encompassing activities undertaken by the Australian Government from 1 January 2016 to 31 December 2017.

Highlights from this report include the increased degree of inter-agency cooperation and collective effort to progress WPS agenda initiatives, and the degree to which key agencies have ‘mainstreamed’ the WPS agenda into strategic and operational-level policy. Perhaps the most meaningful aspect, however, are the stories which demonstrate the degree to which Australia’s efforts to advance the WPS agenda have positively impacted communities devastated by disaster and conflict; which is the overall intention of government work in this important area