MINISTER PREMILA KUMAR AT THE INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY CELEBRATIONS

Australian High Commissioner to Fiji – His Excellency John Feakes,
Acting Permanent Secretary for Local Government – Mr. Shaheen Ali,
UN Women Country Representative - Ms Sandra Bernklau,
First Secretary of Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT), - Ms Sally Waswo,
MFAT Development Program Coordinator – Ms Emma Christopher,
Representatives of UN Women and Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
Chair, Special Administrators and CEO from the Municipal Councils
Panel Members and Panel Moderator,
Invited Guests,
 
Ladies and Gentlemen,
A very good day to you all.
 
It is indeed an honour to be invited as the Chief Guest to this very important event. But it’s an even greater honor to be here amongst so many accomplished women.
 
Whether you are here in your capacity as a foreign diplomat, as a Special Administrator, or media personnel – I know today we all have different stories to share.
 
Ladies and Gentlemen,  
 
International Women’s Day has over the years assumed a global dimension. It has become an avenue to look back on how far we’ve come as women, as well as look ahead and call for change. Far too often we forget the extraordinary role women have played from the beginning of time to shape our families, communities and countries.
 
2021 marks the 110th anniversary of the first International Women’s Day born out of women’s campaign for shorter working hours, better pay and the right to vote. The United Nations (UN) embarked on celebrating International Women’s Year in 1975. It is an official holiday in 27 countries, with thousands of events being held worldwide to celebrate women.
 
This year’s theme “Women in leadership: Achieving an equal future in a COVID-19 world” is the very embodiment of timeless struggles of every day women.
 
The theme also reminds us of the thousands, if not millions, of women who have been at the forefront of the COVID-19 pandemic. Whether as frontliners or leaders, women have played an extremely essential role in the global community. Our health professionals, seafarers, border security, hoteliers – they have all, one way or another, helped us, as a nation to remain COVID-contained – ahead of many other developed nations.
 
Ladies and Gentlemen, Local Governments world over have played an integral role in responding to COVID 19, and women leaders within local government have been central to that response.
 
As you know, just a few days ago Fiji received the first batch our most valuable and anticipated commodity – the AstraZeneca vaccines. If you look at the pictures online, you’ll see the many women standing shoulder-to-shoulder with the Hon. Prime Minister. As a woman, that was definitely a proud moment.
 
Ladies and Gentlemen,
 
The Markets for Change Fiji project partners would like to highlight the key role that women in leadership in local government, markets and national government play in response.
 
I am sure you are all eager to listen to our panellists this morning and hear their journey with the Municipal Councils and how they have all been able to influence decisions and planning at Municipal level in their various capacities.
 
Ladies and Gentlemen,
 
According to UN statistics, data from 133 countries shows that women constitute 2.18 million (36 per cent) of elected members in local deliberative bodies. Only two countries have reached 50 per cent, and an additional 18 countries have more than 40 per cent women in local government.
 
Today, we recognise women leaders at all levels and we have some amazing leaders in our local market vendor associations. They have stood strong together with the municipal councils in ensuring our markets are safe spaces, to continue supporting local economic development in the face of COVID-19. 
 
They continued to advocate and play an important role in planning and decision making for their members. And our markets remained open for economic and food security purposes throughout these trying times.
 
Ladies and Gentlemen, in 2019, my Ministry appointed Teams of 19 Special Administrators (SAs) of which 7 are women.  One was appointed as Chairperson for the team of SAs. She is the SA Chair for Lautoka/Ba Town Councils. These are successful business women with vast experience in high level governance, project management, finance management, corporate services, SME mentoring, human resource development and legal expertise. I’m happy to say the appointment saw an increase in the number of women in leadership in Local Government compared to past years.
 
Ladies and Gentlemen,
 
You will also be happy to know we have more women appointed as Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) of the Municipal Councils. As of today, three women were appointed as CEOs for Nasinu/Nausori Town Councils, Ba Town Council and Savusavu Town Council. Each of these women are exceptional.
 
It is worth noting that the total number of women in managerial and directorship levels at the 13 Municipal Councils against the total number of managers/directors stands at 28 out of 66. However, the number of women in leadership is still noteworthy and I am sure we’ll have more in years to come.    
Looking at our Market Vendors Associations, we have a significant number of women as Presidents – 9 women of the total of 12 – more women than men!
 
Ladies and Gentlemen, balanced political participation and power-sharing between women and men in decision-making is an internationally agreed target set in the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action.  Most countries in the world are yet to achieve gender balance, and few have set or met ambitious targets for gender parity.
 
Women face several obstacles to participating in political setting. Structural barriers through discriminatory laws, social norms and institutions still limit the option to run for office. Capacity gaps mean women are less likely than men to have access to education, contacts and resources needed to become effective leaders.
 
Individual women have overcome these obstacles with great acclaim, and often to the benefit of society at large. But for women as a whole, the playing field needs to be level.
 
I am sure the Panellist will share their journey as women, as mothers, as wives and as leaders, and we can all take something from it.
 
Ladies and Gentlemen, I would like to give a special thanks to the Australian Government for hosting the International Women’s Day today. Your continuous support of the Fiji Government is sincerely acknowledged and appreciated. Thank you, Excellency Feakes for being a wonderful host.
 
I would like to also acknowledge UN Women for their partnership and the great work you do in empowering women in the Pacific. You are making a difference, however big or small, and it doesn’t go unnoticed.
 
Ladies and Gentlemen, with those few words, I wish you all a happy International Women’s Day. I look forward to today’s discussions.
 
Thank You, Vinaka Vakalevu, Dhanyavaad.