4 Feb 2014

Pacific women gather in Fiji to boost representation in politics

6:53 am on 4 February 2014

A group of Pacific women politicians and leaders have met in Fiji to find ways to boost the number of Pacific women in elected positions.

The Pacific Islands have the lowest number of women in governance in the world at just 4-point-7 percent.

Twenty women from seven Pacific Islands came together for a workshop in Fiji last week, which was organised by the Asia Pacific Forum on Women, Law and Development and the Fiji Women's Rights Movement.

The group has elected Papua New Guinea's Minister for Community Development, Loujaya Kouza, to chair a Pacific women's caucus.

"At a regional level we work together to strengthen participation of women within the Pacific region, of various platforms and lobby groups and that kind of thing, wherever we can we want to be that united caucus for the region of women."

Loujaya Kouza says one of the group's first priorities will be to support women in Fiji who are standing in the country's upcoming elections in September.