What positive outcomes would arise if Pacific women had the same access to leadership, decision-making and opportunities as men?
United Nations Commission on the Status of Women in 2019 Photo: US government
That question was asked at the recent United Nations Commission on the Status of Women, hosted by New Zealand.
The women's economic empowerment panel discussion explored issues of leadership access by Pacific women, in light of climate change and Covid-19.
UNESCO board member and Emeritus Professor of Pacific Studies at AUT University Peggy Fairbairn-Dunlop said it was an incredibly important moment for New Zealand.
"Data shows there are more Pacific women reaching leadership and management positions than in previous years," Professor Fairbairn-Dunlop, who is of Samoan-Scottish descent, said.
"Pacific women are starting to sit at strategic, decision-making tables and they are changing the tone of discussion where they are," she said.
Professor Fairbairn-Dunlop also spoke about approaching business leaders and government agencies in New Zealand to encourage positive change.
AUT's Tagaloatele Peggy Fairbairn-Dunlop Photo: AUT
Professor Fairbairn-Dunlop has been asking "how many Pacific people are working in your workplace, how many women are working in your workplace, where are they placed, and what are their responsibilities, and also .. what is their pay?"
"Pacific women migrants play a leading role in sending remittances back home, they are the best remitters of cash or goods, that is what the research shows.
"When you put that next to the fact that Pacific women are largely placed in the lower levels of the workforce then whatever Pacific families send back home has a significant impact on their families. For Pacific families in New Zealand it is a continual balancing of maintaining ties back in the homeland and addressing needs here as well."
She said the recent events in Tonga are a good example of that.
"Anything which happens in the islands given our relationship with the homeland has a direct impact on Pacific people in New Zealand."
Call to action
The Pacific Islands Forum, at the 66th session of the Commission on the Status of Women, has called for women to be at the centre of the global climate fight.
Commission on the status of women in New Zealand 2022 Photo: UN
A New Zealand panel was part of the event. Hybrid events have also been held in New York online in conjunction with other countries.
Fiji's Permanent Representative to the UN, Satyendra Prasad, made the call at the opening address. He highlighted the threat climate change poses to the livelihood, security and wellbeing of Pacific women.
Dr Prasad requested the international community take urgent action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Secretary General of the Pacific Islands Forum,Henry Puna, said the event will continue to ensure gender equality and social inclusion are key components of future actions to combat climate change.
