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Nine New Zealand military personnel have joined a U.S. Navy hospital ship as part of the largest multilateral humanitarian mission to the Southeast Asia-Pacific region, the New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) announced Thursday.
The USNS Mercy would visit Timor-Leste, the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia and Indonesia for the U.S.-led Pacific Partnership 16 mission over the next four months, said Wing Commander Michelle White, the senior national officer of the NZDF contingent.
"We will be engaging in various partnering efforts designed to develop disaster response preparedness and strengthen relationships with other nations," White said in a statement.
They would join more than 600 military and civilian personnel from Australia, Canada, Japan, Malaysia, the Republic of Korea, Singapore, Britain and the United States on board USNS Mercy.
During each stop, the participants would partner with host nations for civic-action projects, community health exchanges including surgeries, medical symposiums, engineering projects, and humanitarian and disaster relief (HADR) training.
This year's mission would highlights the role of women in HADR efforts in line with the UN women's programs on women, peace and security (WPS), New Zealand navy Commander Karen Ward, leader of the mission's WPS team, said in the statement.
"Women and children often make up the majority of displaced populations in the aftermath of disasters and conflicts. We recognize that women's participation in disaster recovery efforts or peace-building is vital if we are to have more inclusive societies and increase the survivability for women and children," she said.
