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Location: Home  »  International  » Engagement with the Pacific

Engagement with the Pacific

As part of a newly established program of engagement with our Pacific neighbours, in 2007 the Office for Women offered funding through the Women's Leadership and Development Programme Grants - Pacific Region to non-government organisations for initiatives designed to promote women's participation in leadership roles in the Pacific.

In 2008 the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat received funding through the Women's Leadership and Development Programme Grants - Pacific Region to produce a communications package for Pacific parliamentarians and women considering running for office.

The communications package focuses on two key areas of gender equality in the Pacific region: promoting and encouraging women's involvement in government and decision making, and the Pacific nations' ratification and implementation of the Convention of the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW).

The package includes two booklets: Getting STARTed for Parliament, which provides a handbook for aspiring women parliamentarians and women standing for elections; and CEDAW: A pocket guide for Pacific Parliamentarians, which was designed to familiarise parliamentarians with the Convention while describing what parliamentarians can do to ensure its effective implementation. CEDAW is often described as the premier international human rights instrument for women.

Launched on 25 September 2008 as part of the Sub-Regional Workshop on Women, the Honourable Dame Carol Kidu, Papua New Guinea's Minister for Community Development stated, 'too often we get lengthy publications and complex publications, when all we need are simple guides to give us some quick tips on what to look out for and what to expect when we do campaign in national elections'.

'What is special about the publication is that it is for Pacific women by Pacific women,' Minister Kidu said.

L-R: Hon. Min Laura Ampa (MP Bougainville), Ms Naha Rooney (Former MP PNG),
Hon. Minister Dame Carol Kidu (MP PNG), Deputy Speaker
Francesca Semoso (Deputy Speaker Bougainville).

'Women generally comprise less than five per cent of parliamentarians in the Pacific region - amongst the lowest in the world,' said the Minister for the Status of Women Tanya Plibersek, who contributed a ministerial foreword in the Getting STARTed booklet (see link below), calling on women who love their country and their community to participate actively in politics.

'This project is an important action by the Australian Government to contribute positively to Pacific countries' efforts to raise the status of women,' said Minister Plibersek.

The work of the Office for Women in the Pacific is just one element of the Australian Government's broader focus on gender equality and raising the status of women in the Pacific. In June 2008, AusAID committed $6.2 million to women's leadership in the Pacific through a partnership with the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM).

'The partnership recognises the importance of gender equality to good development outcomes and to achieving the Millennium Development Goals', said Parliamentary Secretary for International Development Assistance, Bob McMullan.

A recent UN study found that marginalisation and discrimination of women costs the Asia Pacific region, Australia included, an estimated $80 billion annually. Through projects promoting women and their participation, socially, economically and politically, the Office for Women is working towards bridging the gap between the genders to achieve better social, safety, development and economic outcomes for Australia and our neighbouring countries.

The Office for Women and Minister Plibersek are currently looking at further future possibilities for gender projects in the Pacific.

The publications are available for download at the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat website.