Executive Summary Inclusive and gender-responsive policymaking is gaining gradual traction across the Asia-Pacific region. Several governments are attempting to align their diplomacy, development cooperation, and security strategies with broader goals of equality and social justice. This report showcases how four countries—namely Australia, Mongolia, Pakistan, and Indonesia—are applying feminist principles in their international policies as part of an evolving practice. These principles—centred on fairness in rights, representation in decision-making, and equitable access to resources—are increasingly visible in national strategies, albeit unevenly. The analysis suggests that governments are adapting ideas of inclusion and accountability to their own political and cultural realities, producing diverse and often modest pathways towards more inclusive policy systems. This is not unexpected given the highly diverse nature of this region. Yet, the region, home to over half of the world’s population, is a decisive frontier for global gender equality trends, and progress—or lack thereof—in these contexts has implications far beyond its borders. The purpose of this study is to explore how gender equality and social justice are reflected in the Asia-Pacific’s international policy landscape. Using desk-based research, data analysis, and expert interviews, it identifies where and how principles of equality and participation are being integrated into policies on economic justice, development aid, trade, peacebuilding, climate change adaptation, labour migration, and diplomacy. The report approaches this question through the“3Rs” framework of rights, representation, and resources, while remaining attentive to contextual factors such as institutional capacity and political will. The findings suggest that feminist principles are advancing incrementally through practice rather than formal declaration, as states respond to global norms and domestic demands for more inclusive governance. The findings also reveal that feminist ideas increasingly inform the language and logic of policy, even when framed in terms such as “gender-responsive” or“inclusive” governance to align with local contexts. Avoiding the term‘feminism’ does not necessarily signal rejection of feminist values, but rather reflects their localisation and translation within diverse political and social realities. Inclusive policymaking depends on a balance between domestic reform and international engagement. Across the region, governments are introducing new gender and development priorities at home, such as political quotas for women, gender-responsive climate strategies, and inclusive peace and security plans, which, in turn, shape how they engage internationally. Countries with stronger gender institutions and legal frameworks at home, such as Australia, tend to translate these commitments more effectively into their external policies. In countries where domestic institutions are less developed, progress has often been driven by civil society or international partnerships. In Indonesia, for example, such partnerships have driven the localisation of WPS and gender budgeting agendas, while in Pakistan, advocacy networks have sustained visibility for women’s rights despite limited state leadership. National histories and political traditions also influence the adaptation of global ideas about equality to local circumstances. In all cases, the pace and direction of change are shaped by internal politics, administrative structures, and wider geopolitical dynamics. Regional organisations such as ASEAN and the Pacific Islands Forum have also played an increasingly supportive role. Their initiatives provide a framework for collective action, enabling knowledge sharing and greater policy alignment across national borders. The understanding of security in the region is expanding beyond military protection to include human well-being. Pressures from economic instability, climate change, and migration are prompting governments to reassess what constitutes national security. Fourteen countries in the region have developed Women, Peace and Security National Action Plans(NAPs), with the Philippines and Indonesia offering regionally distinctive examples. The Philippines’ plan highlights insecurities arising from displacement, trafficking, and gun culture, while Indonesia adopts an expansive definition of“social conflict” to address structural and communal violence. Mongolia’s plan, currently under development, aims to clarify institutional responsibilities and allocate funding to address gender-based violence, as well as strengthen women’s participation in peacekeeping. However, feminist ideas continue to be overlooked in much of the region’s security discourse. Major powers such as India have yet to implement a WPS national plan, despite the gendered impacts of internal conflict and their significant geopolitical influence. More broadly across the Asia-Pacific region, rising authoritarianism, populism, and militarisation have further limited policy space for feminist peacebuilding, and women are largely absent from defence and foreign policy leadership. The continued prioritisation of military spending over social investment highlights the neglect of feminist principles that advocate for demilitarisation, mediation, and non-violent conflict resolution as the foundation of comprehensive security. Collectively, these dynamics reveal a region in 8 Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung e.V.