Minister for Women, Children and Poverty Alleviation, Rosy Akbar had a bilateral meeting with the Australian Government Senator, Honourable Malarndirri McCarthy, Assistant Minister for Indigenous Australians and Assistant Minister for Indigenous Health.
This was made possible during the engagement of Minister Akbar and Honourable McCarthy at the Pacific Women Lead Governance Board Induction and Inaugural Meeting held from the 12th to the 14th of October at the Sofitel Resort in Nadi.
During the bilateral meeting, Minister Akbar spoke of the challenges of getting Fijian women into leadership and decision-making positions. She also spoke of the challenges she faced as a female member of Parliament in Fiji.
The two women leaders also shared ideas on the staging of the Pacific Women Leaders meeting.
As the first chair of the inaugural PIF Women Leaders Meeting, Minister Akbar spoke of the challenge of getting the members of the meeting to engage in dialogue on the discussion topics during the meeting.
Minister Akbar spoke of the need to also get feedback from the leader’s meeting on the submission of the outcomes document submitted from the Pacific Islands Forum Women Leaders meeting. She also spoke of the need to listen to the voice of the CSOs and NGOs during the meeting, even though their input came out strongly during the Triennial meeting.
The women leaders agreed to work on getting support from countries within the region to lobby and have gender agenda as a meeting agenda during the PIFs Leader meeting.
Senator Honourable McCarthy was accompanied by the Chief of Staff, Ms Sheralee Taylor, Charge ’de Affairs, Australian High Commission, Mr John Williams, and Assistant Secretary, Pacific Development Branch, Ms Julianne Cowley.
Minister Akbar thanked Senator McCarthy for the support of the Australian Government to the National Women’s Machinery and in the area of gender equality and women’s empowerment in Fiji. She concluded that she was committed to ensuring the gender equality and women’s work in Fiji was strengthened and that there was strong collaboration between stakeholders, development partners and donor organisations.
One of the projects led by the National Women’s Machinery and support by the Australian Government, is the development of the National Action Plan to Prevent Violence Against All Women and Girls. The first in the region and second only in the world to Australia.