14 November 2023
Australia has been granted the honour of being admitted as a partner nation to the Nordic Centre for Gender in Military Operations (NCGM), becoming the first non-NATO nation to attain this status.
Gender Peace and Security (GPS) Director Captain Jennifer Macklin said it was an historic moment that recognised years of hard work by Defence gender advisors and everyone involved in developing the capability.
“Achieving partner-nation status is a crowning achievement for Defence and the Gender Peace and Security Directorate, and duly recognises the ADF as a global leader in implementing the Women, Peace and Security agenda,” Captain Macklin said.
At a ceremony in Brussels last month during the NATO Committee on Gender Perspectives AGM, the Australian flag was included with other member nations, and the ‘letter of accession’ was signed by Australia’s Defence Attaché to Northern Europe, Colonel Lisa Weston.
Colonel Weston said the event was a significant milestone, and Australia was looking forward to forging stronger collaboration with other nations.
“Australia is proud to work alongside our NATO and global partners to support the mainstreaming of the WPS [Women, Peace and Security] agenda as a key pillar of our partnerships and engagements,” she said.
“Australia is deeply committed to the United Nations Gender Peace and Security mandate, and Defence has a key role in achieving Australia’s national objectives.
“Our partnership with NCGM is a critical part of Australia’s success, and we genuinely look forward to continuing to share our mutual expertise.”
Following the NATO Committee on Gender Perspectives AGM, the committee held its annual conference. This year’s theme was ‘gender perspectives in the Australia-Pacific region’.
Captain Macklin said Australia and Japan were the only countries invited to formally speak during a deep dive on the theme.
“Australia is gaining increasing recognition for building new partnerships and strengthening global and regional relationships through sharing GPS experiences, initiatives and training opportunities,” she said.
“Our efforts to integrate GPS principles into international engagement activities have been very well received by our partners and continue to expand markedly.”
