For release 1 April 2016

Increasing women’s economic empowerment across the Pacific

Louisa Wall MP, Poto Williams MP, and Joanne Hayes MP, will join fellow parliamentarians from Pacific and Australian Parliaments when they meet in Apia, Samoa next week for the Pacific Women’s Parliamentary Partnerships (PWPP) Forum. The forum is part of the Pacific Women Shaping Pacific Development initiative, and supports the professional development of parliamentarians and parliamentary staff.

The Speaker of the New Zealand Parliament, Rt Hon David Carter, said “this is an exciting time to be in Samoa and I congratulate Samoa on their achievements towards enabling more women to enter Parliament. It is fundamental that women in all parts of the world are given equal access and support to succeed in the workforce. "

Samoa has recently held its first election since amending its constitution in 2013 to require at least ten percent of the seats in Parliament to be held by women. In a historical first for Samoa, a female Deputy Prime Minister, Hon Fiame Naomi Mata’afa, has been elected and ten percent of members of Parliament are women.

The forum seeks to enhance engagement between women in the region and support research into gender equality and creating gender sensitive parliaments. The forum also provides an opportunity for New Zealand parliamentarians to actively engage in building stronger legislatures in the Pacific and strengthen their understanding of the Pacific Region.

The programme has an overarching theme of the legislative base for the economic empowerment of women in the Pacific. Panel discussions will be held, with contributions from the New Zealand members who will share their experiences in the business and private sectors, in addition to discussing how members of Parliament can support women’s economic empowerment with strategic policies and legislation. Other sessions will focus on removing barriers to women’s employment, women’s access to finance, and targeted support to women entrepreneurs.

The Fourth Pacific Women’s Parliamentary Partnerships Forum will be held in Apia, Samoa from 4 April to 7 April 2016. Following the forum on Friday, 8 April, the delegation will be assisting with a United Nations Development Programme training retreat for Samoan Woman Members of Parliament.

ends

© Scoop Media