Tonga’s Leader of Delegation to the 14th Triennial Conferences for the Pacific Women, Prime Minister Rev Dr Pohiva Tu’i’onetoa, congratulated the Conference “for recognizing Covid19, as a cross-cutting theme”.
He said “over 5,000 people (5,367 to be exact) “ in Tonga “have been vaccinated, and will continue until as many as, up to 70% of our people are immunized and protected.”
“During the Covid 19 lockdown, we” (Tonga) “noted a sharp increase of domestic violence.”
Tu’i’onetoa said, “It is critical that we all continue to recognize that women’s empowerment and gender equality, impacts on all aspects of life. We as leaders, should fulfil our commitments at the national level, to the Pacific Leaders Gender Equality Declaration, the Pacific Plan of Action for Women’s Empowerment, Gender Equality and Women’s Human Rights, and the Beijing Platform for Action”
He pledged that “Tonga will continue to support the international community and development partners and to learn from, challenges, and strategies developed with progress made”
The 14th Triennial Conference for Pacific Women, Senior Officials Meeting and 7th Meeting of Pacific Ministers for Women, is led by the theme of “Our Heritage, Our Future, Empowering All Women in the Blue Pacific Continent.
This is the 14th Meeting of Pacific Women in over 40 years and convened by the Secretariat of the Pacific Community.
Participants includes CSO’s, NGO’s, networks, academia and stakeholders working on gender equality and human rights which provides a platform at the regional level for all stakeholders to analyses progress against gender equality commitments.
Senior Officials’ Meeting delegation on 27th – 29th April 2021, is led by CEO Ministry of Internal Affairs, and the Prime Minister, for the Ministers for Women’s Meeting on the 4th May 2021.
This year due to COVID-19 and closure of national borders, the conference is virtual.
The government of French Polynesia chairs this year’s conference and the Government of Tonga was a representative of the Steering Committee of the Triennial through Women’s Affairs and Gender Equality Division.
Member countries have identified Gender-Responsive Climate Justice, Women’s Economic Empowerment and Gender-Based Violence as the gender priority areas for discussion in the Triennial.
Photo supplied