feedback | draft outcomes

Vaine Iriano Wichman
Member of Parliament/Ruaau Constituency
VAKA PUAIKURA
Phone: 21756 or Moblie – 55756
Email: arama@oyster.net.ck
Fax: 24986

REPORT ON MY ATTENDANCE AT THE PACIFIC REGIONAL WORKSHOP ON ADVANCING WOMEN’S PARTICIPATION IN PARLIAMENTS

RAROTONGA, COOK ISLANDS
19-21 APRIL 2006


Aims of Workshop

• To consider draft regional research work conducted to date

• To discuss key issues and outcomes emanating from the research work and Pacific women parliamentarian experience shared during the workshop.

• To prepare a set of outcomes for regional and national consideration (and eventual implementation of course) to support the international, regional, and national legal commitments to advance women’s participation in Parliaments.

Background legal framework for this regional workshop

The Pacific Plan (PP) (endorsed at Forum 2005), the Pacific Community Pacific Plan for Action (PPA), and CEDAW (our adoption of our country report in March this year), bind us to regional and national efforts to enhance women’s participation in the life of governing our country.

There is also an (outdated) Cook Islands National Women’s Policy (1995), and the action plan of the Cook Islands National Council of Women that actively promotes increasing women’s participation in Parliament.

Status of this work in the country

In the late 1990’s with support from UNIFEM, the National Council of Women in partner with the Women’s Division of Internal Affairs at the time, hosted women in politics workshops on the main island to progress commitments made above. Since then there has been no further in-country work, other than political parties and lobby groups, and the National Council of Women from time to time bringing the question of women’s participation in Parliament in public and media arenas.

Workshop Proper
(my views on work, content, and outcomes)

Research presentations

Interesting and very relevant. The countries researched included PNG, Tuvalu, Tonga, Fiji. Findings similar to the Cook Islands included:

• Women participation in Parliament is hampered by women’s perceptions themselves of their normal role in society, culture, religion in some cases, and the importance of other not seen but just as important roles and tasks of women in society;


• Electoral systems are biased towards men rather than women being able to contest seats in Parliament.

Although the research findings were interesting, the suggestions and recommendations offered by the researchers was based on experiences in democratic systems either outside the Pacific region (Rwanda, France, etc), or in the case of French Polynesia, New Caledonia and Bougainville (in the region), under systems less autonomous than our own. In this respect I saw the workshop outcome’s shortcomings in terms of trying to apply these recommendations to fairly robust, and autonomous democratic systems (like ours).

For the more autonomous nations in the Pacific the adoption of special measures that promote women’s participation in Parliament, and the revision of electoral systems to facilitate these measures needs to be developed from within these countries. I had a look at the recommendations of the Tonga research and find these run similar to and would be of benefit to our country as they tie in with the best practise of moving the whole population to understanding the importance of good representation.

(I will be sharing the Tongan recommendations with the Cook Islands National Council of Women and the Gender Division of Internal Affairs, to see if we can develop some ways of supporting our commitment to Article 7 of our Cook Islands First CEDAW report on promoting women in political and public life through training, awareness raising etc).

Workshops on Media, and Sharing Women Parliamentarian Experience

These sessions helped us feel the constraints as listed in the research outcomes. I participated in the media workshop and along with Tere Carr presented the experiences I had by using and working with media (print, radio, tv, and myself form) to win the last election. Members of parliament from other island countries also reiterated and shared lessons they had learnt.

The two outcomes that were adopted as a result of the media sessions were:

• Regional agencies and stakeholders including SPC, PIFS, USP and UNIFEM/UNDP and PINA are encouraged to support Pacific media and women in politics initiatives aimed at increasing quality coverage of the current status of women in Pacific politics, and challenging negative stereotypes about women as political leaders. (Regional outcome number V)


• Review of legislative and or policy environment for freedom of expression and information to assist political campaigns and voter education, advocacy on national issues, and partnerships towards a stronger voice and representation for Pacific women in the political life and governance of their nations (National outcome number XV)

Regional Outcome Document

Volunteering to be a member of the drafting committee for the document, I wasn’t surprised that the regional research and technical agencies, (as well as donor partners), were active in including as many recommendations from the research and technical papers into the outcomes documents.

At the end of the day, it is fair that our country only considers and finds ways to action those outcomes that will assist our national commitments to advance women’s participation in parliament. I draw your attention to the following outcomes that I have extracted from the regional document.

(Regional outcomes Extracted)

III PIFS to facilitate in collaboration with regional partners and donors, the continuity of support, including funding and legal advice, to Member Countries and National Women’s Machineries to enable special measures to be pursued.

IV PIFS with national and regional partners to initiate and/or support for further research on:

• barriers and opportunities for women’s representation and participation in decision-making


• local government and traditional leadership including the roles of women;


• voting patterns; and family voting


• linkages between women, politics and media

Research endorsed by PIFS should be tabled with national parliaments.

VII The importance of gender related issues such as increasing the proportion of women in decision-making positions, especially parliament, be included on the Forum Leaders agenda in 2007. PIFS and member countries to follow through on this action.

IX Countries to consider the role of youth parliaments and other measures in fostering young women leaders and their understanding of the constitutional process in country.

(Close extracted)

I would be happy to:

• In support of outcomes VII and IX, lend my expertise and support to seeking funding to conduct research similar to the Tongan experience in the Cook Islands to assist us and to assist our Prime Minister in his presentation in 2007 to the next Forum meeting on areas of concern and ways forward our nation will take in promoting women’s representation in parliament.

• To share with you, the CINCW, and GADivision, a project proposal for convening a youth parliament here in the country.

(National outcomes extracted)

VIII The adoption of voluntary party quotas or quotas established by legislation particularly in countries with strong political party systems.

This will be an outcome I will take up with my own political party executive and caucus members to proactively support women to put their names up for selection as a candidate and to take it from there.

XV Review of legislative and or policy environment for freedom of expression and information to assist political campaigns and voter education, advocacy on national issues, and partnerships towards a stronger voice and representation for Pacific women in the political life and governance of their nations.

I would be happy to work with CINCW to attract funding to support training among women’s groups in this area.
XVII Providing capacity building to parliamentarians and parliaments to provide enabling environment to address gender equality issues.

Implementing this outcome could be tied in with the above suggestion to seek funding to support training not only of women’s groups in political life and governance, but also include parliamentarians in the training to raise awareness of providing an enabling environment to address gender equality issues.

XVIII Promote the adoption of structural changes within parliament to advance gender equality such as specialised committees or parliamentary caucuses.

I believe this outcome is a challenge for you and me to work with our fellow parliamentarians to develop specialised committees and caucuses of both sides of the house. Pending funding support for research work in country, this aspect could be added on as a terms of reference of the research.

Conclusions

The Tongan Member of Parliament – Lepolo Taunisila, echoed our concerns when she asked ‘what have women parliamentarians been doing in the past to try to encourage our women to enter politics and join parliament?

Those words have encouraged all of us who attended the meeting to at least do something within the areas that we work in, however small or big it may be.

At the end of the day, we all believe in fair representation of our people. Our commitment to Article 7 of our CEDAW report requires us to do something to encourage women to join us in Parliament. As the meeting noted, the obstacle is not the men, it is the women.

If I may share a question posed by a young woman student from Nukutere, ‘What changes have you made in Parliament?’ My response was not what she expected. My response was ‘I don’t think I’m in Parliament to make a change, I’m in Parliament to make a difference’.

Kia orana.