Emphasis on gender discrimination tops agenda

THE Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) Women Leaders meeting has supported Fiji’s proposal to host an extraordinary session of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) Committee in 2025, with funding and secretariat services provided by the Pacific Community (SPC).

A statement released by SPC said this proposal would now be presented to the CEDAW Secretariat and the United Nations High Commissioner for Human

Rights for their decision on whether to proceed.

“In a resounding display of commitment to women’s equality, the Forum Women Leaders had endorsed this groundbreaking initiative, emphasising the importance of addressing gender discrimination across the Pacific region as part of the recent Pacific Islands Forum Women Leaders Meeting held in Fiji from August 31 to September 1, 2023,” the statement read.

“This move aligns with the region’s focus on women’s rights, prominently featured in the leader’s list of ten commitments within the Pacific

Islands 2050 Strategy for a Blue Pacific. Moreover, it builds upon the ongoing implementation of the revitalised Pacific Leaders Gender Equality Declaration and the widespread ratification of the CEDAW.

“The positive outcome of the Pacific session of the 84th Committee on the Rights of the Child in Samoa in 2020 shows that regional meetings can speed up human rights progress and help drive the implementation of international commitments. A Pacific CEDAW session is expected to boost the gender equality agenda similarly.”

While presenting the paper to the other Pacific women leaders, Women, Children and Social Protection Minister Lynda Tabuya shared the ambition among Pacific nations to amplify the voices of women and girls across all spheres of life.

She said the challenge of limited representation at UN human rights treaty committees because of protocol and cost barriers meant that the committee did not get to hear invaluable first-hand evidence on which it could base its concluding observations.

Ms Tabuya further highlighted the need for better contextual understanding, as only one

Forum Island Country representative has ever served on any UN Treaty Body Committee.

She also shared the importance of having more Pacific Island representatives on UN Treaty Bodies to provide an understanding of regional contexts, ultimately leading to more relevant concluding observations and general comments.

Fiji also proposed a program of support to help representatives of Forum Island Countries to be elected to these prestigious and influential treaty body committees, again through the backing of SPC and their development partners.