Ms Nanthini S1
1S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Singapore
Biography:
S. Nanthini is an Associate Research Fellow in the Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) Programme at the Centre of Non-Traditional Security Studies (NTS Centre), S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS), Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Singapore. She holds a master’s in international relations (International Security) from the University of Melbourne, and a Bachelor of Arts (Politics and Gender Studies) from La Trobe University. Her research interests include HADR, climate security and, gender and security in the Indo-Pacific.
Abstract:
As humanitarian disasters around the world increase and intensify, so too are states increasingly calling upon their militaries to participate in humanitarian operations. However, here is also a need to look beyond the functional advantages of the military during disaster responses by integrating a gendered perspective – specifically through the use of the WPS agenda – to shed light on the specific risks faced by women and girls in disaster contexts. In Southeast Asia, where the military play a central role in the region's humanitarian architecture, the newly launched ASEAN Women, Peace and Security Regional Plan of Action (WPS RPA) would be a useful tool in analysing the role of the military in disaster policy in the region. This paper looks to investigates the role of the militaries in humanitarian policy in Southeast Asia through the four pillars of the WPS agenda and deliver insights into the potential impacts of the increasing military presence in humanitarian response elsewhere.