The Minister for Women, Children and Poverty Alleviation, Honourable Rosy Akbar, met with the Representative of UN Women Fiji Multi – Country Office, Ms Sandra Bernklau, during her briefing at the Ministry's Head Office this morning.
During her meeting with the UN Women Executives, Minister Akbar expressed her warm gratitude to the team for their continued support on the development of the Fiji National Action Plan to Prevent Violence Against All Women and Girls (NAP) alongside the Secretariat and Technical Working Group.
While there is a great need to provide workable strategies for changing social norms, the means to provide messages that will be understood clearly by individuals, the community, and the public at large is critical.
The NAP is the solution to that, with its whole-of government and population approach, and the support it has from all sectors working towards ending violence against all women and girls in Fiji.
Minister Akbar said that the NAP, when implemented, must be seen as a living document. It needs to be promoted for and by everyone using media, including social media, as a powerful advocacy tool.
This is aimed at individuals who are committed to preventing violence before it starts and eliminating violence against all women and girls and promoting gender equality.
Ms Bernklau commended the Ministry of Women, Children and Poverty Alleviation, stating that the Ministry has been steadfast in their commitment to progressing gender equality. Through the Pacific Partnership to End Violence Against Women and Girls (Pacific Partnership) program, UN Women remains committed to supporting Fiji’s national efforts to respond to and prevent violence against all women and girls.
UN Women is providing technical and financial support through the Pacific Partnership, funded primarily by the European Union, and the Governments of Australia and New Zealand, and UN Women. In addition to UN Women, the Ministry is receiving further technical support from the Government of Australia.