Vanuatu women want 20 seats in parliament

Transcript

A Vanuatu NGO says it hopes to see up to 20 women in parliament after next year's elections, if the government approves its proposal for reserve seats for women.

The Coalition Fund for Gender Equity's Hilda Lini says they have put forward two proposals; one for temporary special measures on reserve seats, and one for the staggering male and female candidates on the voting order.

Ms Lini told Koroi Hawkins her organisation is already carrying out workshops to prepare women to contest the polls in 2016.

HILDA LINI:  It's a training workshop on political leadership and governance.  The objective is to prepare women for political leadership because the government has been able to develop a policy on 30 percent womens' participation in decision making and the Coalition Fund for Gender Equity in Vanuatu parliament has decided to look at the different ways how we can prepare women to be elected to decision-making bodies, especially parliament where there is no women in this term, the 10th legislature.  The meeting today is to look at how we can prepare women for 2016 general elections.

HILAIRE BULE:  I understand that the women have submitted the proposal to the cabinet but I understand that until now the government didn't give a response to the option of women.

HL:  The temporary special measure, which established the recent seats for women in Port Vila and Luganville, is a process that the Coalition Fund for Gender Equity in Vanuatu parliament has been advocating for its implementation since 2012, after the elections.  We have been active advocates in it since 2012 elections because we feel that the only way forward for women to take part in decision-making, especially local authorities like municipal, provincial councils and parliament, is through the temporary special measure which establishes reserve seats for women so we can start off there.

HB:  With the proposals, how many women do you expect in the parliament next year?

HL:  If it is going to be at any multi-seat constituency from two upwards, our calculation is that we could have from 19-20 women while there would be 32 men.  So we are looking at 20 and 32, that is the proposal that has gone to the government.