A groundbreaking workshop by and with young women from across the Pacific has been held in the lead-up to the 12th Triennial of Pacific Women, held in Rarotonga, Cook Islands.

Young women identified 5 key issues in their outcome statement that has been presented to Triennial leaders, to strong positive response: They called for elimination of sexual and gender based violence; ensuring sexual and reproductive health and rights; eliminating all forms of discrimination against persons with disabilities; promoting full and decent employment and economic empowerment for young women; and ensuring full participation of young women at all levels of decision making.

The Pacific Young Women’s Leadership Alliance and allies from the wider feminist movement such as DAWN, Punanga Tauturu Inc and others are accompanying 26 young women from Cook Islands, Kiribati, Fiji, the Federal States of Micronesia, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, Nauru, Niue, Samoa, The Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, Papua New Guinea and Vanuatu as they input into the 12th Triennial of the Pacific Women in Rarotonga, Cook Islans. This is the first time such numbers of young women advocates will be present at the Triennial.

The Pacific Young Women’s Leadership Alliance is a coalition of groups working with young women in the Pacific; they include feminist and women’s rights groups, regional and global organisations, and United Nations agencies such as the Fiji Women’s Rights Movement (Secretariat), Commonwealth Youth Programme South Pacific Centre, Fem’Link Pacific, Pacific Youth Council, Secretariat of the Pacific Community, YWCA, International Planned Parenthood Federation, International Women’s Development Agency and UNFPA, UNICEF, and UN Women. PYWLA works in partnership with Development Alternatives with Women for a New Era (DAWN), Punanga Tauturu Incorporated (Cook Islands Women’s Counselling Center) and the Cook Islands National Youth Council.

The Triennial and Ministers meetings are being held from 18-26 October 2013 in Rarotonga, Cook Islands. Also here at the Triennial are longtime feminist allies of DAWN,  including Executive Director of Resurj, Alexandra Garita, from Mexico, Yvonne Underhill-Sem of the University of Auckland; and Joan Yee, USP University Librarian.

Downloadable File(s):  PYWLA Outcome Statement