Phase II a forward step for women of the Pa Enua
Traveling from the Pa Enua women of the Cook Islands gathered on Tuesday in Rarotonga to participate in the second phase of the Cook Islands National Council of Women 3 day workshop.
The workshop a combined effort of the CINCW and Commonwealth Local Governance Forum (CLGF) invited both women leaders and delegates to attend the interactive workshop with the focus of supporting Cook Islands women in governance and decision making roles.
While the Cook Islands remains one of two Pacific nations on track towards its 2015 MDG targets of gender equality, in 2010 CINCW and CLGF partnered together under the common goal to ‘advance gender equality and increase women’s representation and participation in decision making at a a local level’ and is currently funding the CINCW to implement and improve multi gender in the Cook Islands governance with mentoring and support for women candidates or women interested in running for upcoming local elections.
In 2011 further agreements were made to execute a pilot project to scope the ‘realness’ of the Pa Enua to pursue gender equal decision making structures, processes and programs.
In her opening speech Megan Prager, Regional Program Coordinator for CLGF Pacific expressed the challenge of women’s leadership with the level of female representation and participation in both national and local government remaining relatively low.
The attendants over the remaining 2 days will participate in the interactive section of the workshop, split into two groups of southern and northern islands the woman will share and record their personal experiences of leadership and decision making facilitated by Political Scientist Isadora Key.
Prager marks the workshop as an inception point as it is the first of its nature not only for the Cook Islands but for the Pacific region, meeting with women both interested and involved with local government highlighting a shift in thinking, commitment and action to recognize the value and contribution of women to leadership and decision making to the Pa Enu, a forward step achieving the goals of CI National Action Plan for advancing women in Decision making. -Maria Tanner

Herald Issue 608 21 March
- Terms of one China Policy document should be reviewed
- Pacific Media Assistance Scheme Seeks Innovation
- Successful NZ visit by PM
- Rerekura Teaurere New Climate Change Coordinator
- News Briefs