U.S. Indo-Pacific Command Concludes Second Indo-Pacific Regional Military Gender Advisor Course

Photo By Lisa Ferdinando | Participants in the Indo-Pacific Regional Military Gender Advisor Course pose for a group photo at the conclusion of the two-week course, Honolulu, Sept. 20, 2024. U.S. Indo-Pacific Command hosted the course that brought together defense partners from 16 nations, as part a five-year initiative by the USINDOPACOM Office of Women, Peace and Security to develop a fully trained network of certified military gender advisors within the Indo-Pacific region. (Coast Guard photo by Chief Petty Officer Lisa Ferdinando)  

HONOLULU, HAWAII, UNITED STATES

09.20.2024

Courtesy Story

U.S. Indo-Pacific Command         

U.S. Indo-Pacific Command’s Office of Women, Peace and Security celebrated the completion of the second annual Indo-Pacific Regional Military Gender Advisor Course in Honolulu, Sept. 20, 2024.

A multinational team of military gender advisors from Australia, Bangladesh, Canada, Fiji, Japan, Mongolia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, and the United States delivered a 10-day training to 29 students from 16 partner nations across the Indo-Pacific.

“Serving as a facilitator and working with this great team on this course has helped me hone my skills and increase my confidence to better serve the Gender Committee in the Papua New Guinea Defence Force,” said Maj. Anna Mathew, a gender advisor in the PNGDF.
Participants came together from Australia, Bangladesh, Canada, Fiji, India, Indonesia, Japan, Mongolia, Nepal, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, Republic of Korea, Singapore, Tonga, and Thailand.

“My participation in this course reflects the Singaporean Armed Forces commitment to enhancing the role of women in the military,” said Lt. Col. Nah Jinping of the Singapore Air Force. “It underscores our dedication to gender inclusivity and highlights the importance of integrating diverse perspectives in contributing to peace and security efforts both regionally and globally.”

The 2024 RGC cohort learned key skills and practices to determine and respond to the needs of women, men, boys, girls, and all populations during military operations. Integrating the entire population in mission planning and execution reduces operational blind spots and improves preparedness ahead of crises and disaster response. They also practiced applying a gender perspective to develop a gender analysis to inform mission planning; conduct WPS advocacy plans; communicate strategically about WPS issues; and practiced developing indicators to inform effective data collection, monitoring, evaluation and learning.
“WPS is one of the best initiatives implemented for the Indo-Pacific Region, said Maj. Poonam of the Indian Army. “It gives us a broader perspective and exposure to both military personnel and the civilian population when deploying in UN Peacekeeping roles. WPS remains part of the preparatory curriculum for every member of the Indian Military deploying on UN missions.”

This Course is part of a five-year security cooperation initiative to strengthen interoperability across a regional network of Indo-Pacific Military Gender Advisors.

• Date Taken: 09.20.2024
• Date Posted: 10.01.2024 22:00
• Story ID: 482288
• Location: HONOLULU, HAWAII, US