10 March
2012
“In the course of this century, we will also prove that the
best strategy of conflict prevention is to expand the role of women as
peacemakers. In the UN itself, we must find ways to appoint more women in
peacekeeping and peacemaking positions…not only do women belong on this planet,
but that the future of this planet depends on women.”
(Kofi Annan, UN Secretary General, June 2000)
March 9,
2012 was Day 2286 since Commodore Bainimarama executed the military coup which
deposed the Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase led government.
It was the
day on which Bainimarama defined the roadmap for the constitution consultation
process.
Yes, while schools
of thoughts vary about whether Fiji needs another constitution making process, the
announcement of March 9 marks another chapter in our political history.
Day 2286 also happens to be the day after women in local communities
and towns, professional women, students, activists and a new generation of
feminists commemorated International Women’s Day across Fiji.
As FemLINKPACIFIC
linked women from the local to the national and global community through
community radio and interactive media initiatives, we also recalled that this
is also the 12th anniversary of the UN Security Council Presidential
statement on the occasion of International Women’s Day 2000 which expressed
that “peace is inextricably linked with equality between women and men”,
as well as to the Charter of the United Nations which identifies the
maintenance of international peace and security as “the primary responsibility of the Security Council”.
Subsequently
on 31st October 2000 the United Nations
Security Council, under the Namibian Presidency, unanimously passed Resolution
1325 on Women, Peace and Security. This is a historic resolution with a number
of critical implications including for the inclusion of women’s groups and
civil society in peace processes.
The political
process ahead is indeed a Peacebuilding process and one which will enable us to
reclaim and rebuild democracy as well as reaffirm our collective commitment to
non violence and peaceful resolutions of conflicts, through what the state has
committed to, “a fully participatory consultative
process”.
The challenge, of course, is to ensure that, in reality, it entails
inclusive, participatory and gender sensitive processes and outcomes.
The commitment to ensure a participatory constitution-making process
is indeed commendable especially when considering how under-represented women
are within the existing power structures of Fiji. These structures include
traditional and government systems, as well as within faith based institutions.
This has been one of the very reasons why Fiji’s women’ movement emerged in
pre-independence Fiji.
But it is also imperative that women’s human rights based
organizations are partners in the upcoming process.
The state, as signatory to the UN Convention for the Elimination of
All Forms of Discrimination against Women, as well as a UN member state
committed to the Beijing Platform for Action, need to ensure that the
development of information and documents comply with international human rights
norms and standards, including a provision guaranteeing the equality of men and
women the law, including customary law. Taufa Vakatale as a member of the
Constitution Commission will be well aware of these prerequisites. Not only was
she the Minister of Women in 1995 when Fiji ratified CEDAW, but having held
leadership positions within the Fiji and World YWCA is also familiar with how
the women’s movement has enabled inclusive political spaces for women.
One hopes that the planned civic education process will assist the
citizens of Fiji understand why and how issues including women’s rights to access
land and to equality in family matters must be affirmed and protected in the
process ahead.
Finally, this month, the United Nations will be deploying a timely Needs
Assessment Mission (NAM) to Fiji, to meet with the state and other stakeholders.
The NAM, which will be conducted by the
Electoral Assistance Division of the UN Secretariat in New York will consider Fiji’s
needs, such as ballot boxes, staffing and logistical preparation, among other
considerations in the lead up to the September 2014 election.
It is
critical that this process also integrates and assists Fiji as a member state
of the United Nations compliance with gender equality and women’s human rights
conventions, treaties and resolutions, including UN Security Council Resolution
1325 (Women, Peace and Security).
The 2005 publication “Security the Peace: Guiding the
International Community towards Women’s Effective Participation throughout
Peace Processes (published by UNIFEM), provides an important guide to how women can be supported to
bring their own perspectives on political solutions and why it is imperative
to that women who have laboured to build
and maintain peace at the community level bring this knowledge and experience
to the
negotiation table:
“Women who appreciate the ways
that inequality and injustice hinder human development
can make the negotiation and
implementation of peace agreements more constructive. The
prospects for sustainable peace
and development are greatly improved by tapping into women’s understanding of
the challenges faced by civilian populations and their insights into the most
effective ways to address them.”
We need to ensure that the UN assisted process and the
report, and its anticipated recommendations also include gender specific
references to ensure that women in Fiji not only engage in the process of
voting but ways in which women will be given the space and resources to engage
freely.
Ultimately the ensuing months and the timeframe announced on March 9
will be a great opportunity for domestication of these international women’s
rights instruments.
All efforts must be made to resource
and support an enabling environment for
women’s participation—including our current civil society structures which can facilitate
women’s input and enable strategic support to women.
Sharon Bhagwan Rolls
Executive Director: FemLINKPACIFIC
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