Catherine Wilson – IPS – Wednesday, 05 September 2012 (originally published 03 Sept)

BRISBANE, Sep 3 2012 (IPS) – Leaders of 15 Pacific Island nations have pledged to remove barriers to women’s economic empowerment, end violence against women and pave the way for their increased political representation, at the conclusion of the 43^rd Pacific Islands Forum in Rarotonga in the Cook Islands, last week. The meeting was also attended by the Executive Director of UN Women, Michelle Bachelet.

Secretary General of the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat, Tuiloma Neroni Slade, stated at the opening ceremony that “this year is an occasion to acknowledge the strength, insight, determination and wisdom of Pacific women, past and present. We need to continue with greater clarity to support and encourage concerted efforts under way to effectively address the entrenched disadvantages that many women face….”

The Pacific Islands Forum is an inter-governmental organisation of 16 independent and self-governing Pacific states, in a region with a population of approximately 10 million, which aims to advance peace, security and economic prosperity in the region . . .

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