ALP International trainer Dr Lesley Clark contributed to a workshop involving civil servants from PNG, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu and Fiji held in Port Moresby PNG in Sept designed to explore ways of increasing the number of women in Pacific parliaments.

Date:  17 October 2008

The Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat together with development partners such as UNDP collaborated on this initiative and brought together a number of reputable and highly skilled experts in the area of electoral reform and women’s participation in political processes, including Dr Clark, to illustrate best practices and best models of affirmative action to suit Pacific nations’ various electoral systems.

“Today the world regional average of women parliamentarians is 16%. Pacific countries have the lowest average by region of 3.1% and the situation is not improving”, said Dr Clark

“The cultural and institutional barriers facing Pacific women are enormous and gender quotas like women-only reserved seats and party quotas are being used successfully around the world to overcome such barriers.”

Dr Clark who is also contributing to a UN publication on the implementation of affirmative action measures in Pacific countries provided workshop participants with information about the operation of the ALP’s 40:40:20 gender quota for election candidates.

For more details see: http://www.forumsec.org/pages.cfm/sustainable-development/gender/subregional-workshop-on-special-measures-women/