AsianScientist (Sep. 13, 2011) – The Julia Gillard Government today announced the appointment of career diplomat Penny Williams as Australia’s first Global Ambassador for Women and Girls.
In a statement, the Australian Prime Minister said that within Australia, Williams will champion the needs of women and girls in Australia’s foreign policy thinking. On the world stage, she will be an international advocate for the Australian Government’s work.
In her new role, the Ambassador will help to coordinate and promote Australia’s work in eradicating violence against women, improving access to services for women, protecting women and girls in conflict zones, and increasing the representation of women in leadership roles.
Williams will focus particularly on the Asia Pacific region which was ranked lowest in the world by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) on a range of gender indicators including access to education, employment, and political participation.
In an interview with ABC Australia today, Williams said that one of her priorities was to address domestic violence in Australia and the region.
“There’s a range of challenges as I said in relation to education of girls, health, maternal health, literacy. One of the biggest challenges and one that’s a real focus of the government has been eradication of violence against women and girls in the Pacific,” she said.
“I mean some countries in our neighborhood, sort of up to 60 percent of women experience some kind of domestic violence during their lives. So an immediate practical priority is to be working with AusAid and other Australian government agencies and NGOs on eradication of domestic violence in the region,” Williams said.
The Australian non-profit aid sector has heralded Williams’ appointment, citing Australia’s high rates of domestic violence and maternal death rates, unequal wage structures, and the lack of representation of women in government.
Australia has launched a number of gender equality initiatives over the past few years, such as the National Plan to Reduce Violence against Women and their Children, which is being used by UN Women internationally as a model for other countries.
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Source: PM Office, Australia; Radio Australia.
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