The Office for Women has funded a seriesof bookletsfor the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat promoting and encouraging women’s involvement in government and decision making in the Pacific region.
Papua New Guinea’s Minister for Community Development, Dame Carol Kidu, said the booklets were special as they were made for Pacific women by Pacific women.
Urge more participation in politics
“Too often we get lengthy publications and complex publications, when all we need are simple guides to give us some quick tips on what to look out for and what to expect when we do campaign in national elections,” Dame Carol said. Australian Minister for the Status of Women, Tanya Plibersek, said the package included two booklets. Ms Plibersek said Getting STARTed for Parliament was a handbook for aspiring women Parliamentarians and women standing for elections and CEDAW: A pocket guide for Pacific Parliamentarians, was designed to familiarise parliamentarians with the Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women and to describe what parliamentarians could do to ensure its effective implementation. “Women generally comprise less than five per cent of Parliamentarians in the Pacific region - amongst the lowest in the world,” she said. Ms Plibersek called on women who loved their country and their community to participate actively in politics. The Office for Women offered funding through the Women’s Leadership and Development Program Grants - Pacific Region to non-government organisations for initiatives designed to promote women’s participation in leadership roles in the Pacific. The Office for Women and Ms Plibersek have been looking at further future possibilities for gender projects in the Pacific.
Email to friend
Printer Friendly Version
PDF Version