Report details actions for empowering women

Actions to empower women for achieving gender equality are set out in Government’s just released a copy of the “Communiqué on Sustainability, Equity and Accountability 2009.”
Its release follows the 2nd Biennial Thematic Conference of the Pacific Parliamentary Assembly on Population and Development (PPAPD) and the combined 3rd General Assembly of PPAPD and the 8th Forum of Presiding Officers and Clerks (FPOC) addressing the theme “Parliamentarians rally for Sustainability, Equity and Accountability” held back to back at the Edgewater Resort and Spa, from 16 to 19 November 2009.
It is a substantial 33 page document reporting on the conference itself, outlining the future objectives and setting timelines for attaining certain goals especially in respect to climate change, gender issues and parliamentary procedural issues.
On the prominent issue of Gender, the objective was’
“To discuss and approve the Gender Mainstreaming and Women’s Empowerment for Achieving Gender Equality - Framework of Action for Pacific Parliamentarians.”
The Communiqué notes the following actions;
(1) The Conference endorsed the commitments made by Pacific Islands leaders toward gender equality in the Pacific Platform for Action, the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) Programme of Action, the Pacific Plan, the Beijing Platform for Action, Millennium Development Goals, the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) and called on their governments to provide regular updates to national legislatures on progress towards implementation of these committees, including tabling relevant reports for discussion and debate;
(2) Endorsed the 2009 Forum Leaders Communiqué on violence against women which commits leaders to “eradicate sexual and gender based violence and to ensure all individuals have equal protection of the law and equal access to justice”;
(3) Committed to promoting a rights based approach to addressing gender-based violence, which reflects international human rights commitments and their own national Constitutions;
(4) Committed to take action in the legislature to address the issue of gender-based violence in national legislatures, including by:
i. Undertaking specific research in the Pacific on the prevalence and causes and consequences of gender-based violence and gender inequality;
ii. Enacting comprehensive, integrated gender based violence legislation;
iii. Promoting national initiatives for zero tolerance of violence against women;
iv. Providing specific and adequate resources for the implementation of relevant multi-sectoral programmes for the prevention and management of violence against women;
(5) In those countries which have ratified CEDAW, committed to law reform which encompasses a comprehensive, integrated approach to ensuring legislative compliance with CEDAW;
(6) Committed to utilizing national Parliamentary Groups on Population and Development and/or other committees in the legislature to work to ensure gender responsive bills (including the budget bill), policies and programmes;
(7) Committed to engaging in dialogue with national women’s machineries and gender equality advocates to ensure gender responsive policy making and law-making;
(8) Committed to facilitate discussion at parliamentary level and amongst the public on the use of temporary special measures to promote gender balance in national (and sub-national) legislature;
(9) Agreed to work with national government bodies, community groups and development partners to support long-term strategies to promote gender balance in national (and sub-national) legislature, including:
i. Mentoring other members of the community interested in nominating to be a legislator;
ii. Supporting the implementation of training for members of the community interested in nominating to be a legislator;
iii. Developing strategies and mechanisms to provide funding opportunities for women candidates;
(10) Recognised the need for ongoing training and capacity development for legislators on the issue of gender equality, reproductive health and rights, violence against women, including international conventions and commitments, and called on national and other development partners to support such activities;
(11) Recognized the importance of engaging with men and boys in programmes, policies and discussions for the promotion of gender equality and, in particular, working towards the elimination of gender-based violence;
(12) Recognised the need to take into account the different issues and needs of urban and rural populations in the Pacific when developing programmes, policies and laws on gender;
(13) Recognised the importance of ensuring that any Reproductive Health, HIV and AIDS policies, strategies, programmes and laws are gender responsive and human rights compliant;
(14) Recognised that violence against women is a human rights issue, a development issue, an economic issue, a health issue, a policing issue but most importantly a family issue and committed to championing Gender Equality and elimination of violence against women through the appointment of Hon. Aloysius Amwano of Nauru, Hon. Teina Bishop of the Cook Islands, Senator Magdalena Walter of the Federated States of Micronesia, Hon. Philip Boedoro of Vanuatu, and Hon. Malakai Tabar of Papua New Guinea as Champions for gender issues.

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