Palau to host first summit for women leaders
13th July, 2012
AN INAUGURAL summit for women leaders in both the government and non-government sector throughout Micronesia will be held Aug. 1 to 3 at the Ngarachamayong Cultural Center, in Koror, Republic of Palau. Delegates from the Freely Associated States of Micronesia, Republic of Marshall Islands, Republic of Palau and the U.S. territories of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands and Guam are expected to attend the 2012 Micronesian Regional Women’s Summit: Weave and Balance the Basket: Strengthening Micronesian Women through Culture, Tradition and Knowledge to Meet Today’s Challenges.
In preparation for the event, Interior Department Assistant Secretary for Insular Areas Tony Babauta also met with the Women of Micronesia Exchange Network, or WOMEN Inc., to discuss important women’s issues. The preliminary discussion was held to help set the agenda.
WOMEN Inc. board member Dr. Melissa Taitano stated in a press release: “We have been in coordination with Assistant Secretary Babauta, the Office of the President of the Republic of Palau, and assisting their women’s group, Mechesil Belau, to plan this inaugural summit.”
In the same press release, Babauta stated: “Supporting the summit is fundamental to the promotion and encouragement of active engagement of women in all spheres of Micronesia’s respective island societies with issues ranging from education, employment, ownership and control over resources, cultural preservation, political representation, institutional decision-making, care-giving, household and community management.”
The formation of WOMEN Inc. was supported by the passage of MCES Resolution 17-04 by the Micronesian Chief Executives, formally recognizing “that political, social and economic equity, gender equality and environmental justice are the cornerstones for achieving a sustainable future, and that women are fundamentally linked to achieving success in this endeavor.”
Information about the summit can be accessed here.
[Marianas Variety News BY LOUELLA LOSINIO]
ABOUT THE SUMMIT
In March 2012, the Micronesian Chief Executives passed MCES Resolution 17-04, formally recognizing that political, social and economic equity, gender equality and environmental justice are the cornerstones for achieving a sustainable future, and that women are fundamentally linked to achieving success in this endeavor.
In an effort to promote full participation of Micronesian women, The Office of the President of the Republic of Palau and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in conjunction with Mechesil Belau, Women of Micronesia Exchange Network (WOMEN, Inc.) and the Micronesian Center for a Sustainable Future (MCSF), through a grant from the U.S. Department of Interior, Office of Insular Affairs, is sponsoring the 2012 Micronesian Regional Women’s Summit: Weave and Balance the Basket: Strengthening Micronesian Women through Culture, Tradition and Knowledge to Meet Today’s Challenges.
The inaugural Summit will host traditional and contemporary women leaders in governmental and non-governmental roles throughout the Freely Associated States of the Federated States of Micronesia, Republic of Marshall Islands, Republic of Palau and the US territories of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands and Guam on August 1-3, 2012 in Koror, Palau.
The Micronesian Regional Women’s Summit is a celebration of the contributions from women and designed to promote and encourage the active engagement of women in all spheres of Micronesia’s respective island societies: education, employment, ownership and control over resources, cultural preservation, political representation, institutional decision-making, care-giving, household and community management. Such full and active participation in civil society should be free of gender-based violence, and, with the assurance and steadfast protection of the most basic tenets of human rights.
To ensure sustainability and wellness of the Micronesian region, subjects of critical discussion and analysis will include human trafficking, violence against women, capacity building, suicide intervention, chronic non-communicable diseases, poverty, traditional medicine and knowledge and cultural preservation. In addition, as participants in developing the Pacific Platform for Action, the Summit will provide an opportunity to evaluate the region’s progress towards resolving the areas of concern and relevant gaps originally identified in the 1995 Beijing Platform for Action. A sharing of traditional and conventional practices to overcome today’s challenges including those related to the Millennium Development Goals specific to reducing poverty is anticipated.