21 October 2013
Australia supports Solomon Islands to attend 12th Triennial Conference of Women
Solomon Islands will be well represented at the 12th Triennial Conference of Pacific Women being held in the Cook Islands this week.
Following a formal request for assistance, Australia is funding the attendance of the Chairman of the Public Service Commission, Eliam Tangirongo, who is a keynote speaker at the conference.
The Triennial Conference of Pacific Women, organised by the Secretariat for the Pacific Community (SPC), is the leading regional gathering of representatives from government, civil society, academia, the private sector and development partners on the progress on gender equality and status of women in the Pacific.
The head of the Australian aid program in Solomon Islands, Ms Sue Connell said Mr Tangirongo was a strong champion for gender equality.
“Mr Tangirongo was invited to speak on the role the Public Service Commission played in establishing responsibility and accountability for gender mainstreaming across government through the inclusion of gender equality key performance indicators for all Solomon Islands permanent secretaries,” Ms Connell said.
“This case study is a unique example of a government-wide gender equality initiative being implemented by a non-women’s ministry. There has been strong interest to explain the progress of the initiative and share lessons learnt with Pacific partners.”
Ms Connell added the conference provides an opportunity to discuss progress of gender equality over the past three years, as well as assist participants with tools and strategies to help accelerate progress on achieving gender equality in their own contexts.
“Solomon Islands participation also offers the opportunity to make links with relevant, informed and inspiring advocates for gender equality in the region and to bring back practical ideas to address gender inequality. “
The 12th Triennial Conference of Women in the Cook Islands is being held between 20-25 October 2013. It will also be attended by the Minister for Peace and Reconciliation, the Honourable Hypolite Taremae and the Director of Women’s Development in the Ministry of Women, Youth, Children and Family Affairs, Ms Janet Tuhaika.
Australia partners with Solomon Islands and other counties in the region by providing long-term support to improve the lives of women in the Pacific. By working with governments and civil society groups, Australia is helping to help change attitudes and behaviours towards women, improve economic livelihoods and strengthen women’s leadership.