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Redesign the Table: Voices from the Field:

By Sharon Bhagwan Rolls Redesign the Table was produced ahead of the
Human security challenges in Vanuatu in 2020 have Women not present in Political
annual convening of the UN Commission on the Status of
continued to be the climate crisis including the impact of category Decision Making
The 20th anniversary of the adoption of UN Security Women and ahead of the 20th anniversary of the adoption of
five TC Harold as the country was beginning to face the initial
Council Resolution 1325 (Women, Peace and Security) serious UNSCR1325 addressing four key pillars of the WPS agenda: In the 2020 Vanuatu elections, 18 women campaigned
consideration must be given to shifting the power to national Participation in Peacebuilding and Prevention; Protection of impact of COVID19 reports GPPAC Pacific focal point in Vanuatu, and none of them got through again, just as in 2012 and 2016.
and local women’s rights actors, to strengthen agency, amplify Women Peacebuilders and Women’s Human Rights Defenders; the Vanuatu Young Women for Change (VYWC).
While the Vanuatu National Council of Women created the Leleon
voice, and build on collaborative opportunities including wom- Relief and Recovery; and Accountability of State, Inter-Govern- These humanitarian crisis situations are impacting the Vanua Democratic Party, a woman-led party on 15 May 2018
en-led coalitions and feminist best practices: mental Organisations and Multilateral Systems to the Sustain-
target constituency of the young women-led network including out
“Addressing gender-based violence… contributes to ing Peace and Human Security Agenda. challenges include access to funding. They did not field any can-
of school girls, single women, lactating mothers many of whom
achieving personal peace. Once personal peace is there, we The report draws on the rich experience and exper- didates for the 2020 elections.
are unemployed or earn a living through the informal sector.
can find family peace, community peace, and the overall re- tise of GPPAC Pacific network members in ending conflict To address the gap in decision-making, the VYWC built
gional peace” – Agnes Titus, Program Coordinator at Nazareth and bringing peace to their respective countries including Fiji, Additionally the situation of women and girls living with disability on the outcomes of a 2016 GPPAC workshop that brought togeth-
Centre for Rehabilitation Papua New Guinea including Bougainville, Solomon Islands, and those residing in remote outlying communities and islands
er 50 civil society organisations in a workshop that localised UN
Elections in Vanuatu, Bougainville and New Caledonia Tonga and Vanuatu. remains a concern.
this year have highlighted the need for greater resources to Since 2007, the GPPAC Pacific network have collab- Security Council Resolution 1325 (Women, Peace and Security).
As a member of the Shifting the Power Coalition, VYWC
support women’s leadership in ensuring peaceful elections, and orated and engaged in local, national, as well as regional and This resulted in the establishment of the ‘Storian Insaed
was able to access an emergency grant to provide humanitarian
the transitional peace and political processes that follow. global processes bringing attention to how the Women, Peace Long Nakamal ‘(Local Dialogues). While the initial collaboration
assistance to their members in Luganville and Malo:
There is also an urgent need to end the violence in and Security (WPS) agenda can be localised into peacebuild- with 18 local chiefs was not as successful as anticipated, there
Tanah Papua, as well as proceed with a human rights investi- ing, non-violence and conflict prevention action in the Pacific “We were able to reach 150 young women and girls with is clearly an opportunity to continue to strive to shift the mindset
gation and an independent Pacific-led peacekeeping mission. region. at least reaching 300 children” says VYWC CEO Sabrina Brown. and bring about political reforms that will result in women not only
Such a mission must be accompanied by gender and youth The report was coordinated through the GPPAC Pacif- The challenges of information and communication is being nominated as candidates but also getting elected.
inclusive community level dialogue and mediation, peace edu- ic Secretariat – Transcend Oceania, through the GPPAC WPS
being felt even by young women and girls living in urban Port Vila: The adviser to VYWC Anne Pakoa, who was a can-
cation and trauma healing. small grants facility, supported by SIDA drawing on the rich
“Mothers who cannot read find it difficult to read and understand
“2020 - It is time to redesign the table” is the central experience and expertise of GPPAC Pacific network members didate in the 2020 elections, says what needs to change is to
COVID19 messages and therefore will need to have extra time
message in the publication “And She Persisted for Peace: in ending conflict and bringing peace to their respective coun- garner support and understanding of why women need to be
Redesign the Table” of the GPPAC Pacific network. tries including Fiji, Papua New Guinea including Bougainville, given for them to better understand their roles and responsibilities supported, and a deeper understanding of gender equality in
The report provides a key set of forward looking rec- Solomon Islands, Tonga and Vanuatu. to comply with the guidelines. Young women who previously were decision making.
ommendations for national and inter-governmental leaders and employed within the tourism sector are now more vulnerable due “Getting women in Parliament is a very challenging
organisations
to the border closures”. The hardship is felt at the personal and agenda and hope to draw more solidarity from our network sisters
family level across Vanuatu society, she says. in the region to advise us on what to do to have some women in

Building Just’Peace Communities in Chang- proach: “We are bringing together the Toda 2016 to recognise that food security is an Parliament in 2024”
ing Environment and Climate Peace Institute together to explore conflict. important priority for communities.”
Pacific Island people are on the forefront of peace and mobility concerns in the context “We are making sure diverse women are
climate change and as COVID19 arrived of climate change in Fiji.” participating and the way in which they are
The Suva based Pacific Center for Peace- erational conversations and driving inclusion and dreams with them. This recognition
into the regions, we recognise that values of “We are addressing the key climate change consulted and participating – this is the
building (PCP) is providing a creative plat- for the LGBTQI and disability community. will contribute to network building and
trust, collaboration and truth are important challenges confronting communities in Fiji” purpose of the “sense making process” –
form for 25 diverse young women and men It creates a safe space to express diverse consolidating a collective voice for people
values that must be at the basis of the added Kevin Clements the Director of the taking into account the WPS agenda – and
to use creative expressions to communicate opinions on a range of topical subjects, with similar concerns” says PCP Executive
response said Rev James Bhagwan of the Toda Peace Institute of who reminded par- this is linked with the work we are doing with
their ideas for peace and development. some which may be sensitive and uncom- Director Florence Swamy “This is critical as
Pacific Conference of Churches (PCC). ticipants that climate change and COVOD19 the Shifting the Power Coalition and so we
Ahead of a scheduled exhibition in 2021 par- fortable to talk about. Through art, young young people make up a large percentage
He was speaking at a recent consultation require maximum attention and collaboration are making this a priority” said Adivasu Levu
ticipants are mentored in film-making, visual people will express their own issues as of the population of Fiji yet formal decision
that saw GPPAC Pacific members– Tran- to identify ways to contribute to the develop- of Transcend Oceania as she explained how
art, drama, poetry and photo-story, short it affects them, they become visible as making spaces still do not fully include their
scend Oceania, Pacific Centre for Peace- ment of policies. a new Talanoa Storytelling Methodology
stories, music and craft work. Content pro- individuals and through this platform others contributions and so this project aims to
building and PCC highlight how they are “This is one of the first times that we have is paves the way to the next phases of the
duction is contributing to bridging inter-gen- will identify experiences, emotions, hopes address this as well.”
making connections between peacebuilding, had island countries closed to each other. Building Just’peace Communities in Chang-
conflict prevention and the climate crisis. This has important implications for the ing Environment and Climate in Fiji.
This is about sustaining human security displacement and migration. There is a need It builds on the way in which Transcend Oce-
for communities who are on the frontline of to integrate the broadening of the security ania has been convening listening exercises,
climate change said Adivasu Levu, Execu- agenda in light of the adoption of the Boe to identify the experiences, the challenges Produced with support from Coordinated by
tive Director of Transcend Oceania who are Declaration” said Bhagwan and the opportunities to support peacebuild-
the local hosts of the consultation which is Food security, he added is an important ing approaches in two communities in Fiji
undertaken in collaboration with the Toda indicator for crisis response and prevention: who are dealing with the reality of relocation.
Peace Institute and Conciliation Resources “You have to look at conflict situations, after
and through a comparative learning ap- natural disasters such as TC Winston in