As women are more vulnerable to the issues of domestic violence, gender discrimination and other social and physical issues, the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women has conducted a session where everyone can give ideas on what can be done to solve the issue.
While speaking during the press conference after the opening of the Pacific Technical Cooperation Session of the CEDAW, SPC Principal Strategic Lead - Women and Girls Mereseini Rakuita says this event will drive real momentum for gender equality in the Pacific and showcase a new model of treaty body engagement that is people-centred, regionally led and grounded in Pacific ways.
Rakuita says often in the Pacific, when we face a challenge, we come together as a collective which is part of how we lIve and lead, and this is what will be witnessed this week.
Rakuita says the Pacific has some of the highest rates of gender-based violence and lowest numbers when it comes to women in political leadership.
She says they are here as governments, civil society, partners, and community voices, together with the CEDAW committee members, to confront these challenges head-on, and the session will prioritise accessibility.
She adds they are proud that for the first time, non-reporting countries are actively engaging in peer-to-peer learning with committee members, regional organisations and civil society since this is the Pacific way of being collective, respectful and inclusive.
The Chair of the CEDAW Committee, Nahla Haidar says the idea of this session is to bring the notion closer to the people because these tools are made for the people, by the people, and they have to serve the people ultimately.
Haidar says being able to listen closer to the grassroots is very important, to understand the government constraints, difficulty, inability, blockades, how can they handle them, and how can they together implement those legal frameworks that were voted and ratified by sovereign governments.
Prime Minister, Sitiveni Rabuka says hosting this session is a significant moment for the government and the future of freedom, offering them an opportunity to address shared challenges and explore durable solutions.
Rabuka says it is in this context that they reaffirm the vision and commitment, specifically the Gender Equality Declaration.
The Prime Minister says this declaration underscores their collective goal to eliminate barriers to gender equality and to empower women and girls across all areas of life.
He adds it challenges them to tackle inequality improve the standard of regional collaboration and ensure that progress is sustained and measured.
The Session will end on Friday.
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