The Committee on the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) is holding working sessions in Fiji. Cuban representative Yamila González Ferrer is participating in the event as a member of the Committee. Upon her arrival in Suva, she was welcomed by Ambassador José Manuel Galego Montano and exchanged with the Cuban mission staff.
Speaking during the press conference following the opening of the CEDAW Pacific Technical Cooperation Session, SPC Senior Strategic Lead for Women and Girls, Mereseini Rakuita, said that this event will generate real momentum for gender equality in the Pacific and showcase a new model of treaty body engagement that is people-centered, regionally led, and grounded in Pacific ways.
Rakuita expressed that often in the Pacific, when faced with a challenge, they come together as a collective, which is part of how they live and lead. She added that the Pacific has some of the highest rates of gender-based violence and the lowest rates of women in political leadership.
She emphasized that they are here "as governments, civil society, partners, and community voices, along with the CEDAW Committee members, to address these challenges head-on, and the session will prioritize accessibility."
She expressed pride in the fact that, for the first time, non-reporting countries are actively participating in peer-to-peer learning with Committee members, regional organizations, and civil society, as this is the Pacific way of being collective, respectful, and inclusive.
For the CEDAW Committee, Nahla Haidar said the idea of this session is to bring the concept closer to the people, because these tools are made for the people, by the people, and ultimately must serve the people.
Haidar expressed that it is very important to be able to listen more closely to the grassroots to understand the limitations, difficulties, incapacity, and blockages of the government, how they can manage them, and how they can jointly implement these legal frameworks that were voted on and ratified by sovereign governments.
Fijian Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka said that hosting this session in Fiji is an important moment for the government and the future of freedom, offering them an opportunity to address shared challenges and explore lasting solutions.
The session will conclude on Friday.