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.