The United Nations Committee on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW Committee) has accepted, in principle, the request from the Pacific region to hold its extraordinary ninety-first session (Extraordinary 91st CEDAW session) in Suva, Fiji.
The CEDAW Committee, comprising 23 independent experts on women’s rights from around the world, monitors the implementation of the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women, which 12 Pacific Island Countries have ratified.
Traditionally, the CEDAW Committee conducts its work in Geneva. Holding an Extraordinary CEDAW session in Fiji would, for the first time, enable hundreds of women, children, civil society organisations and others from across the Pacific region to directly engage with the Committee on home territory.
Fiji's Prime Minister and Acting Minister for Women, Honourable Sitiveni Rabuka, welcomed the decision and looks forward to hosting the regional CEDAW session in Fiji.
“The Government of Fiji will be honoured to host this historic event, which will facilitate a meaningful dialogue between the Committee experts and our region and will also be a platform for peer-to-peer learning and collaboration among Pacific nations,” Hon. Rabuka commented.
The request for a regional CEDAW session was proposed by Fiji and unanimously endorsed at the Pacific Islands Forum Women Leaders Meeting in August 2023 ( Outcome Document of Pacific Island Forum Women Leaders Meeting 2023 here). The proposal was subsequently endorsed by Pacific Islands Forum Leaders at their meeting in September 2023.
Pacific Islands Forum Secretary General, Baron Waqa, emphasised the significance of the Committee’s positive response to the request made through the Pacific Islands Forum Women Leaders Meeting. “An Extraordinary CEDAW session hosted in the Pacific is a historic milestone of UN partnership with the region, demonstrating a strong commitment to Pacific gender equality, social inclusion and respect for our Leaders and Heads of State.”
“Hosting of the Extraordinary 91st CEDAW session in Fiji presents a timely focus after the endorsement of the revitalised Pacific Leaders’ Gender Equality Declaration and the launch of the 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent, in which gender equality and social inclusion is our regional priority,” said SG Waqa.
PIFS and the Pacific Community (SPC) have been tasked with supporting the Committee in the delivery of the Extraordinary 91st Session.
SPC's Mereseini Rakuita, Principal Strategic Lead for Women and Girls in the Pacific, expressed her support for this initiative, stating, “The Pacific has some of the highest rates of violence against women and girls and the lowest rates of women in Parliaments anywhere in the world. We welcome the opportunity to collaborate with the Committee, the Government of Fiji and the relevant United Nations agencies to facilitate this event to bring human rights discussions to the communities impacted by their breaches.”
Ms Rakuita added that at the heart of the 2050 Strategy is People-Centred Development and that the Extraordinary 91st CEDAW session will be an excellent tangible example of this focus area in action.
“People-centred development means just that – placing those whose lives are being affected at the heart of processes and decision-making. The Extraordinary 91st CEDAW session will enable the Committee to hear directly from women and girls and work together to drive effective strategies for equality. We commend the Committee’s vision and courage in stepping out of Geneva and believe it is a decision which can transform the rights of women and girls in the Pacific.”
The Extraordinary 91st CEDAW session is proposed to take place in Suva in April 2025.
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