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 Co­conveners of the 5thFiji Women’s Forum Date: 8­10 April 2015 Venue: Holiday Inn, Suva OUTCOMES STATEMENT
Friday 10 April 2015 Women and Local Governance 1. Sixty women leaders, representing diverse women and their communities from across Fiji, including women with disabilities, as well as different faiths, cultures, sexualities, gender identities, ages, demographics and opinions, came together for the 5thNational Consultation on Women’s Participation in Democratic Processes, known as the 5thFiji Women’s Forum, to develop strategies towards ensuring women’s full participation in local governance. 2. The objectives of the 5th Fiji Women’s Forum were: a) To reflect on the Fiji Women’s Forum successes and challenges in 2014. b) To identify opportunities and challenges for Fijian women’s participation in local governance c) To develop collaborative strategies for increasing women’s participation in local governance Reflecting on 2014 3. Women faced many challenges in 2014, including persistent disregard of inequalities, limited financing for women candidates, a restrictive media and legislative environment, relatively short time frame for election preparations, low levels of citizenship rights awareness in our communities, and continuing social barriers that discriminate against women. 4. Despite these challenges, the Fiji Women’s Forum made substantive contributions to Fiji’s on‐going democratization process, which included the mobilization of thousands of women across the country to participate in the 2014 national elections as engaged citizens, supporting women candidates, the delivery of strategic civic education campaigns, as well as the production of democratic advocacy materials. 5. Reflecting on our experiences in 2014, participants of the 5th Fiji Women’s Forum reasserted the continuing need for women’s intergenerational collaboration and solidarity across all our diversity. Participants also highlighted the need for community‐based education, stronger systematic support for women candidates, a strengthened lobby for temporary special measures for women in decision‐making, and more strategic use of mainstream and alternative media, including community radio, in building public awareness of women’s leadership. Participation in Local Governance 6. The 5th Fiji Women’s Forum discussed Fiji’s multiple and complex local governance structures, from municipal councils, to provincial councils, district advisory committees and rural local authorities. Each of these structures presents opportunities and challenges for women’s participation and leadership. 7. Some of the challenges affecting women’s participation in local governance include socio‐economic, climate change and environmental barriers that discriminate against women, limited access to information about local governance structures and processes, and the lack of a sustained collaborative strategy for women’s engagement. Despite this, there are some possible entry‐points for women, such as seeking nomination, appointment or election to local government positions, supporting other women currently employed or appointed to these structures, and engaging with local development planning and budgeting activities. 8. Based on these challenges and opportunities, Forum participants identified three objectives for the Fiji Women’s Forum in relation to local governance: a. Increasing women’s participation and leadership in local governance b. Influencing local government to improve development outcomes for women and their communities c. Utilising local government structures to positively influence national policy Call to Action 9. With these objectives in mind, the 5th Fiji Women’s Forum makes the following calls for action: 10. Recognise women’s leadership: The Fiji Women’s Forum recognises the important role of women already participating in local governance, and commits to strengthening their strategic leadership. We also commit to working in collaboration with the Fijian Government to further identify women leaders, to ensure inclusive and effective decision‐making at the local level. The Forum will do this by compiling a database of 1000 women of merit, including young women, to share with Government entities towards promoting women’s effective participation in local governance. 11. Consult women in reviewing local government legislation: The Fiji Women’s Forum calls on the Fijian Government to outline the process for consulting women and women’s organisations to ensure their needs and concerns are addressed in the current review of Fiji’s Local Government Act 12. Implement temporary special measures for increasing women’s representation in local governance: The Fiji Women’s Forum calls on the Fijian Government to work with women to implement its commitments under the Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) and the Fiji National Gender Policy to promoting gender balance in power and decision‐making at all levels, by utilizing temporary special measures to increase the numbers of women in local government. The Fiji Women’s Forum reiterates its call, first made in 2012, for 50% representation of women at all levels of decision‐making. 13. Establish a concrete timeline for local government elections: The Fiji Women’s Forum calls on the Fijian Government to set clear, time‐bound benchmarks and resources towards holding local government elections, with measures in place to support and encourage women’s participation as voters and candidates. 14. Collaborate on increasing women’s participation in local governance: The Fiji Women’s Forum calls for collaborative strategies for increasing women’s participation in local governance, as highlighted by the Ministry of Local Government in their presentation at the 5th Fiji Women’s Forum. We call on Provincial Councils, District Advisory Committees, Rural Local Authorities, Municipal Councils and related entities to strengthen their gender mainstreaming efforts, including increasing women’s access to decision‐making and ensuring women’s effective participation in all development initiatives, in line with the Fiji National Gender Policy. 15. Work in solidarity with women for better local governance: Recognising the power of collaboration, we also re‐commit to working together as the co‐conveners and allies of the Fiji Women’s Forum to ensure diverse women’s full participation in Fiji’s on‐
going democratization process. We call on Fijian Government entities, civil society colleagues and other groups to join us and work together in solidarity towards gender equality, participatory democracy and the meaningful participation of women in local and national decision‐making. For any queries, please contact Sharon Bhagwan­Rolls: [email protected] or Fay Volatabu: [email protected] or Tara Chetty: [email protected] Adi Finau Tabakaucoro: [email protected]