Transcript
MA'U 'ALIPATE LEHA: The purpose of this review is really looking at the national planning process and when is the good time to put in the mainstreaming, where in the process, the most effective way of getting this gender and human rights mainstreaming into the national process. So that is basically the primary purpose of this trip. We are doing consultations with key line ministries and actually looking at, this is the policy and planning process, what is involved in there and figuring out how to get mainstreaming gender and human rights into it.
KORO VAKA'UTA: Is it a case of minor modifications needed or is it a big overhaul?
MAL: Island countries, they already have the national planning in process and they have one way or another mainstreaming, whether it is the gender and human rights or any of the other thematic areas, so to me it is not an overhaul of the planning process. It is really looking at it and what is the best way of getting these into the process. They have already done it but some are doing at different levels but now it is looking at bringing everyone, the government as a whole, and let's look at how to best streamline it. There is a toolkit. How can everyone use this toolkit? And that is basically it. To me, it is not an overhaul, it is just looking and seeing how we can best bring in these thematic areas to make sure and ensure it is a whole of government approach instead of just a one ministry approach.
KV: What are the challenges that you are finding with your team?
MAL: We have has some opportunities to have one-on-one meetings but one of the things in Pacific Island countries is that we are at different levels in terms of this mainstreaming. Here in Vanuatu what we are seeing is they are working on, they are currently drafting a guideline on how to do this mainstreaming, so it is just like the timing. Bringing them up so everyone understands this is the time to do it, there is a budget processing time, so to me one of the challenges is co-ordination in Vanuatu. Also, just to speed up things. Really one of the key challenges here is co-ordination and having a clear view of where international planning processes can come in.
KV: When it's talked about gender and human rights, in terms of Vanuatu, are there specific issues that need this mainstreaming, this effort, this momentum?
MAL: There are different areas. Looking at anti-violence against women, you are looking at women in parliament, the economic empowerment so the Forum Secretariat and the South Pacific Community, they have developed this toolkit integrating all these different key areas. So you have this toolkit and that's what we are trying to work through the national planning process, how you can put in this toolkit in it. But once you have the toolkit, it is a totally different thing to how you can put it into the national planning so that is the whole purpose of being in Vanuatu.
