News
This page collects stories on developments throughout the Pacific in promoting women in politics. Because many news sites in the Pacific archive their stories after a period of time, we have replicated the stories in full on this page, to keep an archive on efforts and article in the region. We thank all Pacific news colleagues for their contributions in sharing stories on women in politics. If you have a story we have missed, please send it to the PacWIP team on pacwip@gmail.com.
First woman to enter Chuuk state senate promises to bring big changes
16th March, 2017
For the first time in its history, Chuuk province of the Federated States of Micronesia will have a woman in the state senate. Her name is Gardenia Aisek and her campaign turned heads in the Chuukese community. Ms Aisek says speaking to voters face-to-face about her vision for change made all the difference. Listen as Senator...
Improving the electoral chances of Melanesian women: an evidence-based approach
06th February, 2017
Written by Julien Barbara, Kerryn Baker Nowhere in the world is the under-representation of women in leadership positions, especially in formal politics, more acute than in the Pacific islands region. Just one in 20 Pacific parliamentarians are women. While 2016 saw some significant progress in this area – Hilda Heine of Marshall Islands won the...
Women stirring the political current in Chuuk
01st February, 2017
By Silvia Cosier (https://chuffed.org/project/women-stirring-the-political-current-in-chuuk) Growing numbers of women may be taking their places in political life around the world, but in many parts of the world, their numbers are woefully small. Women in politics are a rarity in the Pacific, and non-existent in Chuuk in the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM). Women make up only...
Lawyer Gabrissa Hartman is Nauru’s new Member of Parliament
20th January, 2017
Lawyer and former Deputy Clerk of Parliament, Gabrissa Hartman has been elected a Member of Parliament in the Nauru parliament. Hartman is the new MP for the Ubenide constituency and is Nauru’s second woman parliamentarian in the current parliament. She received an absolute majority of 817 votes to 696 votes tallied by Wawani Dowiyogo when...
Fiame Naomi Mata’afa – A legacy of women leadership
03rd January, 2017
They say e au le inailau a tina ma tama’ita’i. Fiame Naomi Mata’afa is a living testimony of that in Samoa – and around the world. In a year when the ruling Human Rights Protection Party (H.R.P.P) celebrated another victory, the highlight without a doubt was the election of Fiame as Deputy Prime Minister. In her eighth term in Parliament and as one of the...
Young women in Vanuatu learn about engaging in politics
31st October, 2016
Port Vila, 31 August 2016 – Over 30 young women are attending a training workshop in Port Vila aimed at enabling them to effectively engage in political development through capacity development. The training on Tuesday and today focuses on leadership skills, public speaking and Temporary Special Measures – an instrument that allows special provisions for women...
Cooks Speaker encourages women to be politically bold
06th October, 2016
05 October 2016.The Speaker of the Cook Islands Parliament says women need to be bold and stand in elections. Six women put themselves forward in a snap election which was held in 2014 ahead of the country’s 50th anniversary of self government. There are currently four women in the 24 member parliament but the Speaker, Niki Rattle, said many...
Observers lament few women candidates in Nauru
06th October, 2016
12 July, 2016. The Commonwealth Observer Mission monitoring Nauru’s election says the low number of women contesting the polls is disappointing. Four women vied for a seat in the 19 member parliament but only one, CharmaineScotty, was elected. Ms Scotty was the only woman in the last parliament. The mission’s chairperson Anote Tong said the weekend election was conducted in...
Politics viewed as a man’s job – Samoa Deputy PM
06th October, 2016
05 October, 2016. The Deputy Prime Minister of Samoa says women do not think of politics as a natural career path. The level of women’s representation in parliament in the Pacific is among the lowest in the world with women comprising less than 16 percent of all parliamentarians in the region. Samoa’s parliament endorsed an...
PNG missed its chance for more women in parliament
06th October, 2016
A retired Papua New Guinea MP, Dame Carol Kidu, says the country has missed its opportunity to balance the representation of women in parliament. In 2011 PNG passed a bill to set up 22 reserved seats for women but enabling legislation was not passed in time for the following year’s election. Dame Carol Kidu entered politics in 1997 and was...
Deputy Speaker of the House: “Women leaders vital for Bougainville”
30th August, 2016
In April 2016, Hon Francesca Rhianna Semoso participated in the Pacific Women Parliamentary Partnerships Forum (PWPP) for the first time with MPs from around the region. Photo: Shazia Usman, Pacific Women Support Unit. Hon Francesca Rhianna Semoso, the Deputy Speaker of the Bougainville House of Representatives, is an advocate for women in leadership. As one...