Page 17 - IB Nov 2017

Climate change Meg Taylor reflects Resilience Leaders endorse trial plan for
Women on Pacific ambition: P19 climate-change affected islands: P20

It’s time for action, time to deliver

tackle regional challenges of violence,
under representation and lack of economic
security for women as well as enhancing
the participation of young women in the
implementation of the outcomes:
“The future is in the hands of our
younger generations coming forward,”
By Sharon Bhagwan Rolls she said. “These four days, you have been
here, you would have seen the numbers
THE adoption of the Revised Pacific of young men and women who have been
Platform for Action for Gender Equality here, often very active in community or
and Women’s Human Rights during the
deliberations of the 13th Pacific Triennial civil society organisations, some of them
Conference on Women and the 6th Meet- totally youth dominated, as they should
be. If you look at these actions, you’ll see
ing of Women’s Ministers convened by its about information, education, upskill-
the Pacific Community (SPC) marks an ing, making sure our young people have
important journey for the Pacific region.
A journey which needs to tackle a dearth access to reproductive health information,
of social, economic, environmental and United ...Above: Marshall Islands President Hilda Heine. that their rights as younger people, that
Below: Fiji Minister for Women Mereseini Vuniwaqa.
they have choices to grow and to have
political challenges. Photos: Supplied good health are protected.”
Minister Mereseini Vuniwaqa, Minister
of Women, Children and Poverty Allevia- “Let’s march forward with one voice,
tion in Fiji, who chaired the conference, is strongly and consistently advocating for
pleased with the outcomes: gender equality in our region,” added
Minister Vuiniwaqa.
“Apart from setting a roadmap on next According to Noelene Nabulivou, Pacific
steps, it also allows us as a government CSO feminist, challenges remain when
to measure what we have been doing so
far, whether that is the direction that the negotiating on women’s human rights
region, as an entity, is taking and what it language but the outcomes are positive
indicators to build on:
is that we can do differently and do bet- “So for CSOs, while we were concerned
ter,” she said. “We have identified some that transgender language was not able
key challenges, as a government, from this
particular meeting: data, the lack of data to be passed through in the final outcome
here in our nation, to drive and inform document - and that for us is a real loss
because it was an opportunity for us to
policy-making. We see that as a challenge move something incredibly new and an
and I am glad it has come out very strongly “There has been a lot of synergy that area where we feel the Pacific could lead
in the outcome document as well.” has gone through it and I acknowledge
This is a beginning of a renewed com- those who put this document together because we have so many indigenous gen-
mitment that we owe ourselves said Dr. which gives a clear pathway for gender dered identities that are respected and that
people understand at national level - but
Colin Tukuitonga, the Director General of equality,” he said. what we did get was ‘women in all their
the Pacific Community, as he congratulat- “But more important, in terms of eco- diversities’,” she explained. “The other
ed the ministers for adopting the Outcome nomic empowerment, my mind can see
Document which will be the guiding policy that it will also help provide some clear huge win for us is having two civil society
document for advancing the Pacific’s gen- directions to those women out there in organisation dedicated spots on the main
table is a real shift.
der equality agenda in the next 3 years: the small villages because what they are In the 12 (Triennial Conferences) before
“For us at SPC, the outcome document really looking for is, given the outcome
of course becomes the navigation chart document, ‘what is in it for us at the vil- this, we really had no substantive repre-
or the road map or whatever phrase you lage level’?” sentation on the main floor.”
The 13th Triennial Conference of Pacific
prefer because that’s the collective submis- Minister Vuniwaqa added that the Women and 6th Meeting of the Pacific
sions on what you regard as important,” media including women-led community Ministers for Women was held from the
he outlined. “For us now, the challenge is radio like FemTALK 89FM in Fiji have a 2nd to the 6th of October at the Novotel
to then set about finding the partnerships, demonstrated role in localising the com-
the relationships, the resources that we mitments to women especially in rural Lami Bay in Suva, Fiji.
(https://www.facebook.com/
need to make this happen.“ communities. notes/femlinkpacific/femtalk-pacific-
According to Minister Nandi Glassie, Dr Sharman Stone, Australian Ambas- its-time-for-action-time-to-deliv-
Crown Minister for Internal Affairs in the sador for Women and Girls, stressed the er/10155835325984295/ )
Cook Islands, making this happen means urgent need to address the gaps between q sharon@femlinkpacific.org.fj
ensuring relevance at the local level: women in our Pacific countries as we

Islands Business, November 2017 17