Girl Child Report Please click here for a version of our most recent publication on the Girl Child Report a joint publication with UNICEF Girlchild Report

CEDAW Legislative Compliance In Nine Pacific Island Countries

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Please click Here for a version of our most recent publication on the CEDAW legislative indicators which was a
joint production with the UNDP Pacific Center
“Translating CEDAW into Law”

Please click here for a version of our most recent newsletter on Bringing CEDAW Home

Please click here for a version of our newsletter that was published in June 2005, on Bringing CEDAW Home

Laisa Bale-Tuinamoala, UNIFEM’s CEDAW Programme Coordinator attended the 32nd CEDAW Committee Session in New York and kept us updated about the 32nd CEDAW session by sending us 10 email postcards, which can be read here

Pacific Parlimentarians Discuss the Way Foward Wellington, New Zealand 2nd October 2006

Commonwealth female members of Parliament from the Pacific Region gathered in Wellington today for a regional roundtable organized by the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) and the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) which included representives from Australia, Cook Islands, Fiji, Papua New Guinea, New Zealand, Samoa, Tonga and Vanuatu.

Mr. Nails Johnston, CPA Director said that the workshop was a culmination of a series of workshops at the national level which aims at discussing strategies for increasing women’s political participation in the Pacific Region. The workshop seeksto build on various initiatives taken in the Region including workshops held in Papua New Guinea and Tonga, and the recent regional workshop in Rarotonga, Cook Islands, he said.

The New Zealand Minister for Women, Hon. Liaane Dalziel, opening the workshop at the Parliamentary complex said that it is important for Pacific Islands Members of Parliament to take a strong stand on importatn priorities such as increasing women’s representation in Parliament because they are the basis of moving forward as women, as leaders in communities and as the mainstay of families. Towards this end, New Zealand will work with its Pacific neighbours to maximise the potential as a region through the realization of the potential of women.

Ms. Laisa Bale-Tuinamoala, speaking on behalf of UNIFEM said that the way forward was through partnerships with different groups and at different levels, even between groups of differing political thought. In acknowledging the partnership with CPA, Ms Laisa Bale-Tuinamoala also thanked partnership with the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat Gender Advisor for providing technical assistance at the workshop. UNIFEM, she said are now conceptualizing a Pacific Women’s School of Politics that aims at “mass popular civics eduaction that will give women access to information and eduation, essential for them to be better informed and more active citizens, capable of mounting and sustaining a demand for a good governance. It is envisaged, that this will support and develop critical needs to enjoy their human rights, to access basis health, education among other this". While the programme is currently bieng conceptualized, UNIFEM will be sharing the concept paper for more dialogue and consultations, Ms. Bale-Tuinamoala said.

The four day workshop will conclude on the 5th October 2006 with key recommendations on how the Pacific Islands can meet their commitments made to the Beijing Platform for Action, the Commonwealth Women’s Plan of Action for the Advancement of Women and the Millenium Development Goals.

“Improving the Status of Women in the Pacific Island Countries through support towards CEDAW implementation in the Pacific”

The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) is a human rights treaty which was adopted by the UN General Assembly on the 19 December 1979 and came into force as a treaty on the 3 December 1981. CEDAW, the cornerstone of all UNIFEM Programmes, is often referred to as “the women’s bill of rights” and has been ratified by over 179 countries including 14 Pacific Island Countries. This include 8 Pacific Independent States : Federated States of Micronesia (2004), Fiji (1995), Kiribati (2004), Papua New Guinea (1995), Samoa(1992), Solomon Islands (2002), Vanuatu (1995) & Tuvalu (1999); 6 dependant states through their foreign administrators:Cook Islands, Niue, Tokelau, (in 1985 through New Zealand) New Caledonia, Tahiti and Wallis & Futuna (in 1983 through France).

Progressing the Implementation of CEDAW in the Pacific is a 3 year programme which covers 6 Countries: Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu & Tuvalu. The programme seeks to achieve 4 primary goals:

Governments to understand their obligations under the Convention and to take active steps to implement it and enhance their reporting in a timely and appropriate fashion to the Committee

Non-Government Organizations understand and use the Convention in their advocacy work

Engage Governments

and NGOs in the reporting process and collaboration in monitoring and implementation of the Convention

Increase the access to across-the-region lessons learned, good practices and expertise on the implementation

To implement these activities, UNIFEM works in collaboration with UNDP/RRRT, Secretariat of the Pacific Community Pacific Women’s Bureau, International Womens Rights Action Watch, UNICEF,

CEDAW in Fiji:

Fiji is the first Pacific Island County to have reported to the Committee on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women in January 2002, having ratified the Convention on the 28 August 1995.

On the 9-11 March 2004, UNIFEM Pacific upon the request for technical assistance by the Ministry of Women held a National CEDAW workshop in Suva, to celebrate International Women’s Day. The participants consist of 26 community women leaders from all over Fiji.

UNIFEM organized a Regional Training of Trainers in November 2003 to create a pool of CEDAW experts in the region and of trainers who will sustain this initiative.

CEDAW in Papua New Guinea:

PNG ratified CEDAW on the 12 January 1995. PNG has yet to submit its Initial Report to CEDAW.

In February 2004, the UNIFEM CEDAW Coordinator met with
Government, Development/Donor Agencies and Non-Government Organizations to discuss the writing of PNG’s pending CEDAW Report. There is now a national CEDAW Committee that is overseeing the writing of this report.
From its dialogue with all key stakeholders, the Ministry of National Planning, agreed to be the focal point in facilitating the writing of PNG’s Initial Report.

CEDAW in Samoa:

Samoa ratified the Convention on the 25 September 1992.

In November 2004, UNIFEM funded a mock trial workshop in Apia, Samoa to better prepare the government and NGO delegation for the reporting in New York. Ms Shanti Dharaim who is now a CEDAW Committee member was a resource person at that mock session and her presence and feedback/input proved invaluable to the process.

In January 2005, the government of Samoa appeared before the Committee on the Elimination of All forms of Discrimination Against Women in New York to present its initial report. It was the second Pacific Island Country to appear before the committee. UNIFEM’s CEDAW Coordinator was in New York for this session and her postcards on the PACWIN network can be found at CEDAW postcards.

CEDAW in Solomon Islands:

The Solomon Islands has a Solomon Islands National Advisory Committee on CEDAW (SINACC) which is chaired by the Permanent Secretary for Home Affairs, Women, Youth and Sports.

CEDAW in Vanuatu:

Mrs Isabelle Donald, Vanuatu’s Minister for CRP and Women’s Affairs deposited Vanuatu’s initial report in New York when she attended the CSW in March 2005. Vanuatu is in the queu with 49 other countries who are expecting to be called upon by the committee to present its country report at one of the committee’s 2 annual sittings.

For more information on the CEDAW Programme for the Pacific, please contact the CEDAW Programme Coordinator Ms Laisa Bale-Tuinamoala laisa@unifempacific.com

The International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) was adopted by the General Assembly in December 1979 and it is, in essence, the international bill of rights for women.

The Convention requires states to eliminate discrimination against women in the enjoyment of all civil, political, economic and cultural rights. It also establishes programmatic measures for states to pursue in achieving equality between women and men.

Currently, 173 countries - more than two- thirds of the members of the United Nations - have ratified the Convention, committing themselves to a legally binding international treaty, including participation in a country-by-country reporting process.

An additional 97 countries have signed the treaty, binding themselves to do nothing in contravention of its terms.

The CEDAW Committee comprises experts in the field of women’s rights from 23 countries. These 23 experts are elected by secret ballot from a list of individuals nominated by the countries that are party to the Convention. In this election, consideration is given to equitable geographical distribution, as well as to representation of different civilizations and legal systems. The 23 Committee members serve in their personal capacity, and not as delegates or representatives of their countries of origin.