This paper examines the experience and lessons of three projects implemented by CARE International in Papua New Guinea to inform best practice in inclusive governance programming in the future. CARE’s governance work enables citizens (the “grassroots”) and government (representative as well as the civil service) to come together, disrupting negative or destructive cycles of distrust, inaction and disempowerment.
The Voter Education Project was targeted at the ‘lost generation’ of Bougainville (people aged 35 to 45 years). Over 20 months, the Bougainville Women’s Federation and International Women’s Development Agency provided education about voting rights and responsibilities to 22,463 women and female youth, including 206 with disabilities and 21,368 men and male youth, including 383 with disabilities and another 53 people with disabilities. These voters were able to use these skills in the 2017 Papua New Guinea national elections.
The Pacific Women Advisory Group on Research is comprised of specialists in gender research expertise who have interest in the Pacific region including representatives of research institutions, development partners, civil society organisations, regional organisations, governments that are engaging in gender research as well as individual research practitioners. Guided by the Research Strategy, the Advisory Group provides advice to Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade on the strategic direction of the Pacific Women research program.
The Pacific Young Women’s Leadership Strategy was published in 2011 by the World YWCA with support from the Pacific Leadership Program. The strategy is presented under five themes:
- Safe.
- Respected.
- Included.
- Connected.
- Skilled.
These themes were developed after analysing responses from over 250 young women who participated in interactive consultations across six Pacific Island countries.
This annual report notes that the eyes of the world were focused on Samoa and the wider region for the Small Islands Developing States Conference and UN Women’s Executive Director, Phumzile Mlambo Nguka’s first visit to the Pacific.
Highlights from the year included:
- The launch of UN Women’s Markets for Change project.
- A highly visible 16 Days of Activism against Gender Violence campaign.
The Pacific Young Women’s Leadership Alliance is a network of regional, international, and locally based organisations working with and for young women leaders across the Pacific region. The Alliance’s strategy focuses on five key themes, supporting young women to be: Safe, Respected, Included, Connected, and Skilled. The goal of the Alliance is to provide a network to share information, and best practices and resources; and provide a united voice to ensure that governments, donors, and other stakeholders are accountable to the needs of young Pacific women.
The overall goal of the Gender Equality in Political Governance program was to advance gender equality in political governance in the Pacific and its objective was to increase political participation by women as active citizens and leaders. Important strategies employed by the programme include building broad base support for women’s participation in political governance through the development of community-base level education and the introduction of temporary special measures.
Pacific Women program activities support the Bougainville Gender Investment Plan, which prioritises the following objectives:
- Reducing family and sexual violence and assist survivors of violence.
- Strengthen women’s leadership.
- Improve women’s economic opportunities.
This report includes the following highlights:
This report contains highlights for the Pacific Women in Papua New Guinea program, including the conclusion from the mid-term evaluation that the program is on track to achieve its objectives, and that the program uses evidence to inform policy and practice.
Other highlights include:
The purpose of the workshop was to share findings from the review of the Pacific Women Fiji Country Plan and the Pacific Women Year Three Evaluation and consider the implications of findings for future Pacific Women programming in Fiji.
The workshop was designed to maximise input from local experts, as well as provide the opportunity for peer sharing. In addition, exercises were developed to ensure partners strengthened or developed new relationships with each other.
The findings from this study about community views about women in politics and leadership more generally provide important information about current attitudes, how these vary across the population in Fiji, and where change is happening.
The first woman to be elected to local government in Fiji was Mrs Maureen Wright in 1967 who then went on to become the Mayor of Lautoka City Council in 1970. Since then the progress of women in local government has been frustratingly slow. Despite 40 years of institutional development, the number of women elected into municipal councils has only increased by a marginal 4% to 14.5% in 2008.
Despite the existence of affirmative action measures at the sub-national level in almost all Pacific island countries (a little known fact), women’s political representation at this level continues to remain significantly low. Nevertheless, regional trends indicate that women’s political representation at the sub-national level is gradually increasing and in most cases is higher than at the national level.
In 2010, the Cook Islands National Council of Women in partnership with the Commonwealth Local Government Forum Pacific set down an ambitious program to begin to work with women entering decision making positions in the Pa Enua (Island) Governments. There are over 50 seats in local councils throughout the country. The key aims of the Akateretere Anga Tau O Te Pa Enua (meaning leadership in the Islands) Program is to:
- Establish island women in local government networks and coalitions to help drive gender equality goals.
The candidates’ training was held from 2-6 December 2013. Fifteen participants from 8 provinces in the Solomon Islands attended the training. This included twelve potential women candidates from 8 provinces (including Honiara) and three men who expressed interest in contesting the 2014 National Elections were identified by the Solomon Islands National Council of Women to participate in the training.
This report contains information about the activities undertaken as part of the Salamasina - Tausala o Samoa programme, lessons learned and recommendations for the future.
The evaluation of the Rise Up! program found:
- 93% of participants reported that they shared information on what they learnt through Rise Up! informally with their peers, family and other community members.
- 78% of participants reported that they had increased their knowledge in the areas of human rights, women’s rights, gender, public speaking and leadership.
- 53% of participants reported increased confidence.
- 22% of participants reported increased self-esteem after training.