Scott Ryan (Victoria, Liberal Party, Assistant Cabinet Secretary) Share this | Hansard source

The Australian government recognises that women and girls are disproportionately affected by armed conflict and that women's participation in peace processes is vital to international peace and security. We are committed to supporting the women, peace and security agenda, having recently announced a package of assistance at the UN Security Council's high-level review on women, peace and security in October. Our pledges support a key priority announced during our term on the UN Security Council and build on the government's gender equality agenda, including our National Action Plan on Women, Peace And Security. We will provide the additional $4 million over three years to the Global Acceleration Instrument on Women, Peace and Security and Humanitarian Engagement. We were pleased to be the first country to earmark funding for the GAI, which will address the current financing gap, improve the timeliness of investments and invest in strengthening the capacities of grassroots women's organisations. Australia will also support new research by Monash University on how women are countering violent extremism in their communities and internationally, including preventing extremism, and identifying early warning signs. We have also dedicated $7 million to address sexual and gender based violence as part of our overall commitment of $59 million over the last 12 months in response to the Syrian crisis.