PACIFIC WOMEN ADOPT PPA WITH RESERVATIONS

August 23, 2004 - (Pacnews) Ministers for Women from around the Pacific have endorsed with reservation the Pacific Plan of Action (PPA).

It was adopted as a 'living document'- meaning that major stakeholders on gender issues, including national governments in the Pacific Islands, can use the 48-page document as a charter by which they can measure their performances at policy level when it came to women's issues.

At the end of a weeklong meeting discussions in Nadi, Fiji, many delegates found that achievements on some key areas have not been "too great" while some felt that 'hardly any efforts had been made to progress gender equality.'

Many delegates, like Palantina Toelupe, Samoa's Director for Women, and Lise Suveinakama of Tokelau, told the conference their countries had to serve women's best interests first before considering provisions in the proposed regional charter, which asks for an international commitment.

Palau's Maria Goretty Masayos, Belau Women Resource Centre head, sought clarifications on how island governments set up women's ministries.

Dr Penelope Schoeffel, commissioned by the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC) to do a research on evaluating whether Pacific governments have put in place mechanisms to deal with gender inequality, said most countries have already allocated specific ministries for women affairs.

"These offices were established around ten years ago to improve the status of women and despite the advancement of gender issues in the last 10 years, the focus is still on the position of women rather than the relationship between male and female status," she said.

"The concept of gender mainstreaming at national level is best served by having policy and planning units develop gender expertise while national mechanisms can concentrate on the Women in Development (WID) work they serve for their stakeholders."

"I cannot support this document," Ms Suveinakama told the triennial conference. "I have to go back and explain to the women what we have to do." Many delegates asked for clarification on the links between PPA and the Beijing Platform for Action (BPA).

The revised PPA endorsed last week contains key findings of the review exercise on the implementation of thirteen critical areas in the Pacific Platform for Action (PPA) on women and sustainable development, which was adopted in 1994 by Pacific Island Countries ands Territories.

The document, referred to as a regional charter, will now be used as a platform for actions to guide national, regional and international co-operations for the empowerment of women in the areas of political, legal, social and cultural rights.

The past week saw women leaders from all over the region do their first in-depth analysis of the status of women in the Pacific Islands; reviewing achievements made, challenges faced and obstacles encountered and came up with suggestions and solutions on how the PPA goals should be implemented within respective governments' concepts.

The conference brought together decision-makers from Pacific Island governments, non government and civil society organisations, development partners, researchers, academics and media workers to discuss the role and place of gender in the development processes of the Pacific Islands and also identify and make practical recommendations and strategies to address inequality for the future.

From: http://www.hellopacific.com/news/general/show/news/2004/08/23/23reg10.html