US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton United States\' initiative to protect and engage women as agents of peace and stability in conflict, crisis, and transition-affected environments took a step forward following the release of the US Department of State Implementation Plan and a key meeting with civil society representatives. The Department of State released the US Department of State Implementation Plan of the National Action Plan on Women, Peace, and Security on Tuesday. This plan guides how the Department, both in Washington and at US embassies and consulates, can advance efforts under the US National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security (NAP), the State Department said. The NAP, which was issued in December 2011 together with Executive Order 13595, seeks to ensure that women participate equally in preventing conflict and building peace in countries threatened and affected by war, violence, and insecurity. The Department\'s implementation of the NAP demonstrates its commitment to furthering the promotion of gender equality in service of U.S. foreign policy and national security. To mark the release, Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women\'s Issues Melanne Verveer and USAID Deputy Administrator Don Steinberg met yesterday with civil society representatives to discuss US plans to protect and engage women as agents of peace and stability in conflict, crisis, and transition-affected environments. The Department of State\'s implementation plan outlines commitments to accelerate, institutionalize, and better co-ordinate efforts to advance women\'s participation in peace negotiations, peace-building, conflict prevention, and decision-making institutions; protect women from gender-based violence; and ensure equal access to relief and recovery assistance in areas of conflict and insecurity. The Department is taking concrete steps, through diplomatic and programmatic efforts, to empower women to participate in national and community level dialogues in Afghanistan, South Sudan and Burma; to engage politically and in the reform of the security sector as Arab Spring countries transition; and to promote access to justice for survivors of gender-based violence from the Democratic Republic of the Congo to Nepal to El Salvador.