PM Highlights Women Empowerment and Gender Equality at High Level Meeting
Advancement of the rights and interests of Women and Girls is at the heart of Fiji’s leadership and National Development priorities. Fiji has conveyed this commitment at the United Nation’s ( UN) High Level Meeting, providing opportunity for Member States to present on their country’s actions and commitments towards accelerating the implementation of the Platform for Action.
Prime Minister, Josaia Voreqe Bainimarama delivered Fiji’s National Statement at the High Level virtual Meeting “25th Anniversary of the Fourth World Conference on Women,” held at the margins of the UNGA75, on Friday 2nd October 2020.
PM Bainimarama spoke via video link on the concrete actions Fiji has taken in advancing SDG 5, “Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls.” “Excellencies and Distinguished Delegates, there is far more work to be done in Fiji, but we have made important gains over the past 25 years in education, maternal mortality, access to health services, women’s representation in leadership positions and participation in Parliament, and increased public awareness and recognition of women’s rights. We have enacted progressive legislation and regulatory frameworks. “And my Government in particular has led a relentless effort to end violence against women by changing the laws governing sexual assault to make it easier and safer for a woman to come forward and feel secure under the law and confident that justice will be delivered, and by speaking out at every opportunity to shame the very notion of violence directed against women and girls.” PM Bainimarama spoke on the Fijian Government’s policies and programmes that enables women to pursue enhanced opport u n i t i e s and excel in all aspects of their development, be it education, leadership, career development, empowering them to reach to their highest potential in life.
“Excellencies and Distinguished Delegates, all children in Fiji attend primary school, with 92 per cent of girls completing secondary school. Female students make up
57 per cent of the graduates of tertiary institutions. Women hold 10 of 51 seats in Parliament, and half of those female Parliamentarians serve as Ministers or Assistance Ministers in my
Government. Almost 30 per cent of leadership positions in the Civil
Service are women.
“I am proud to tell you that the 2018
Employment Relations Act has been amended to increase the length of maternity leave and introduce paternity leave, so that women can have assistance with child-rearing in the home. The 2018 amendment to the Succession, Probate and Administration Act now guarantees inheritance rights to women living in de facto relationships.
PM Bainimarama said that Fiji’s larger National Development Plan, includes a historic mission to develop a five-year National Action Plan to Prevent Violence Against all Women and Girls.
PM REAFfiRMS FIJI’S commitment in addressing disaster issues
Prime Minister, Josaia Voreqe Bainimarama has reaffirmed Fiji’s commitment to continue to support the work of the Platform on Disaster Displacement (PDD) through strengthening collaboration with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in addressing disaster displacement issues in the Pacific region. PM Bainimarama conveyed this message to the UNHCR while speaking at the UNHCR, 71st Session of the Executive Committee Meeting in Geneva.
The meeting also highlighted that the COVID-19 pandemic has had far reaching consequences on a global scale and to an extent the pandemic has also increased the financial burden of building national resilience for Small Island Developing States in the Pacific. PM Bainimarama spoke on the current regional and national efforts to address the devastating impacts of climate change faced by the region.
“Our regional efforts are complemented by the UN Trust Fund for Human Security (UNTFHS), which has allocated seed funding for a project focused on Enhancing Protection and Empowerment of Migrants and Communities Affected by Climate Change and Disasters in the Pacific Region.
“Fiji has developed comprehensive national relocation and national displacement guidelines to ensure that there is consistency, coherence and justice as we serve people who are displaced by natural disasters or need to be relocated due to sea-level rise.”
The Prime Minister added that as a region, the Pacific is already dealing with the need for strengthened infrastructure and relocate entire communities to higher ground to escape the rising seas, but on the other hand we are now faced with gutted revenues due to the economic impact of COVID-19 on key industries, like Tourism.