Principal Strategic Lead - Pacific Women for the South Pacific Community, Mereseini Rakuita.

The effects of COVID-19 pandemic have increased the need for true universal gender parity by another 40 years, bringing it to 136 years.

Speaking at the opening of the Pacific Government CEDAW Learning Exchange today, Principal Strategic Lead – Pacific Women for the South Pacific Community, Mereseini Rakuita, highlighted this estimation by the World Economic Forum.

“The COVID-19 pandemic and climate crisis have set the stage for a series of what could be some of the most important and transformative policy decisions that our governments will ever take, and we have that opportunity to reset in building back our societies. The voices of civil societies, communities, women, girls, men, and boys must be given critical space in these discussions.”

Rakuita says as Pacific Islanders, the added impacts of climate change on our island nations will have a multiplier effect on the number of years we have before we can reach gender parity.

She says this learning exchange is an opportunity to address gender inequality and gaps in the systems that continue to perpetuate this issue.

Rakuita adds that we must work together to ensure gender equality across all respective areas—whether that is civil society, lawyers, government officials, inter-governmental agencies, academia, and development partners.

The Pacific Government CEDAW Learning Exchange is currently underway at the Tanoa International Hotel in Suva – two leading global experts on CEDAW, ten Pacific Island government delegates and gender-equality stakeholders are part of it.

The Learning Exchange will assist government delegates and gender-equality stakeholders to better report on and meet their agreed commitment to improve equal opportunities for men and women.