The 12th Triennial Conference of Pacific Women
18th October, 2013
The 12th Triennial Conference on Pacific Women
12th Triennial Conference of Pacific Women
The 12th Triennial Conference of Pacific Women will focus on gender equality priorities and critical areas for Pacific nations and undertake review of the implementation of the Revised Pacific Platform for Action (RPPA) on Advancement of Women and Gender Equality 2005-2015, and make recommendations for action for the region and national governments.
The areas of focus for the Conference will be:
- Launch of the Regional Millennium Development Goals Tracking Report 2013
- Mechanisms to Promote the Advancement of Women
- Women’s Legal and Human Rights
- Women’s Access to Services
- Economic Empowerment of Women
The 5th Pacific Ministers for Women Meeting
Hosted by the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC), in cooperation with the Government of the Cook Islands and the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat (PIFA), this meeting will bring together government ministers and senior decision makers, development partners, research institutions and civil society organizations to review and development strategies to accelerate progress in the achievement of gender equality and women’s human rights in the Pacific region.
For more information:
phone: +687-262020
fax: +687-261818
e-mail: nicolem@spc.int
The 12th Triennial Conference of Pacific Women (20–24 October) and the 5th Pacific Ministers for Women Meeting (24, 25 October) will focus on celebrating progress in gender equality in the Pacific Island region and will also discuss the future – that is, where, as Pacific nations, we would like to position gender equality in the post-2015 development agenda at national and regional level.
According to Linda Petersen, Manager of the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC) Human Development Programme, the meetings, which will be hosted by the Cook Islands Government, will centre on reviewing national and regional implementation of gender equality commitments: the Revised Pacific Platform for Action, the Millennium Development Goals, and treaties and conventions, including the UN Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination against Women and UN Security Council Resolution 1325 (Women, Peace and Security).
Ministers, government officials, civil society organisation and development partner representatives – 160 people all told – have registered for the conference, which will link together the past, the present and the future of the women’s movement in the Pacific.
Ms Petersen described the agenda: ‘We will be setting the stage for conference discussions at the official opening on October 20th with a video tribute to pioneering women human rights defenders from the region, as well as two keynote presentations. Leading Pacific feminist and Asian Development Bank Senior Social Development Specialist (Gender), Imrana Jalal will set the scene for the deliberations by addressing the conference on how economic, social and environmental changes are already affecting women’s lives and how they will probably affect the way we live and our relationships in the future. The second keynote is to be given by a representative of Pacific Young Women’s Leadership Alliance, who will share the future young women envisage for themselves, their communities and their children.’
Meanwhile, SPC has welcomed the support of the Pacific Media Assistance Scheme (PACMAS) for the media and communication strategy of the conference.
‘SPC recognises that the media are a source of empowerment for communities, as information and knowledge enable people to make informed decisions about issues that affect their lives. The main purpose of this media and communication strategy is to enable SPC to create an environment for effective and innovative media coverage,’ says Ms Petersen.
The communiqué of the 2005 Pacific Ministers for Women Meeting highlighted the important role of the media in advancing gender equality. Ministers recognised that the media is a powerful tool that can either promote or shut out women’s issues from public discourse. They further recognised the need to work with the media towards changing stereotypical portrayals of women in the media.
For more information: Linda Petersen, Manager, Human Development Programme, SPC, Noumea, New Caledonia at lindap@spc.int
Source: SPC Celebrating our progress, shaping our world, 25 September 2013
Resources:
(PDF) Revised Pacific Platform for Action (RPPA) on Advancement of Women and Gender Equality 2005-2015
(PDF) May 2013 Meeting Announcement for the 12th Triennial Conference of Pacific Women (20–24 October) and the 5th Pacific Ministers for Women Meeting (24, 25 October) in Rarotonga, Cook Islands
(PDF) 12th Triennial Conference of Pacific Women Registration Form