Pacific media organization calls for support for empowerment of rural women

The feminist media organization in the Pacific, FemLINKPACIFIC, on Tuesday called on donors and development partners to invest in the region's women rights programs to support the empowerment of rural women. FemLINKPACIFIC made the call in a statement to mark the International Day of Rural Women, urging rural women "must have equal representation in decision making structures for development programs" The day was firstly observed on Oct. 15, 2008. Established in December 2007, it recognizes "the critical role and contribution of rural women, including indigenous women, in enhancing agricultural and rural development, improving food security and eradicating rural poverty." FemLINKPACIFIC held that the International Day of Rural Women is an opportunity to do more than recognize the struggles of rural women but enhance the commitment to Article 14 of the UN Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination against Women, which means ensuring national budgets and development programs take a women's rights based approach to enhancing the status of all rural women. "With our regional "1325 Network" partners in Bougainville, Tonga and Solomon Islands we also call for a greater conflict prevention and human security approach in development processes which will ensure greater accountability to women's role as decision makers and peacebuilders,"says FemLINKPACIFIC. According to the women organization, its "monthly Network meetings as well as the consultations reiterate the need for a multi-level approach to listen to women in all our diversities, and ensure development programs take into account women's development and human security priorities including access to land and resources." Recently, FemLINKPACIFIC has launched "Not Just Sweet Talk" campaign in Fiji which enabled 80 rural women leaders to communicate their priorities and recommendations on television and community radio. Between July and October, 38 women leaders representing a collective membership of more than 2,000 women from a diverse range of local clubs and groups participated in divisional level consultations which included the monthly 1,325 network consultations and rural community outreach to two new centres, namely Tavua and Rakiraki in Fiji's western division.