SUB-REGIONAL WORKSHOP ON SPECIAL MEASURES FOR WOMEN

25 – 26 SEPTEMBER 2008

PROVISIONAL AGENDA

Day One – 25 September 2008

Opening of Sub-Regional Workshop on Special Measures

OBJECTIVE:	Why are we having this workshop and what we hope to achieve?	Chair: Mr. Joseph Klapat, Secretary, Department of Community Development
9.00 – 9.20	Welcome remarks	UNIFEM & PIFS
9.20 – 9.35	Official Opening	Dame Carol Kidu
9.35 – 10.00	Vote of Thanks	PIFS
10.00 – 10.15	Official Photograph

10.15-10.30

MORNING TEA

OBJECTIVE:	To Understand The Needs, Experiences and Expertise of the Workshop’s Participants	Chaired by SPC
10.30 – 11.30am	Tour-de-table	Country Delegations 10mins per country Development partners & Observers – 3- 5 mins per organisation
OBJECTIVE:	To Understand The Reasons for Low Representation of Women in Pacific Legislatures	Chaired by SPC
11:30 – 12.00 pm	Presentation on Special Measures · State of Women’s representation in the Pacific · Summary of some reasons for low representation – based on PNG and Solomon Islands diagnostic studies · Analysis of poor election outcomes for women	IPU Sherrill Whittington PNG Electoral Commissioner?
12.00 – 12.15	Discussion: why are women not being elected?

12.15 – 1.15pm

LUNCH

OBJECTIVE:	To Understand Why We Need Special Measures	UNIFEM
1.15 – 2.00	Why do we need special measures? - international commitments – CEDAW - regional commitments What value do women add when in the legislature?	SPC Dame Carol Kidu
2.00 – 2.15	Discussion	Participants

OBJECTIVE:	To Understand What We Mean by “Special Measures”	PIFS
2.15 – 3.15pm	What do we mean by special measures? · Use of party lists in proportional rep countries (French territories) · Voluntary and involuntary party quotas in non-proportional rep countries (e.g. possibly Fiji, Vanuatu, PNG) · Reserved seats (e.g. possibly Solomons, Vanuatu, PNG, Fiji Upper House)	Rita Taphorn (UNIFEM) Julie Ballington (IPU)
3:00 – 3:15pm	AFTERNOON TEA
3.15 – 4.00	Continue session….	Continued…
4.00 – 4.45	Legal, Constitutional, Legislative Issues, and policy Implications of Special Measures in the Melanesian States · A quick overview on what countries might expect to go through when implementing special measures	Miles Young, IDLO
4.45 – 5.15pm	Discussion and questions	All participants

6.30-8.30

Cocktail Official Launch of Communications Materials hosted by the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat Launched by Hon. Dame Carol Kidu, MP and Minister for Community Development

All participants and invited officials

DAY 2 – 26 September 2008

OBJECTIVE:	To understand current and proposed approaches to Special Measures in the Pacific	Chaired by UNDP Pacific Centre
8:30 – 9:00am	Quick Recap on day 1 1 participant each from Fiji, Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea and Vanuatu to recap what they thought were the key issues and highlights	Participants
9.00 – 10.30	Presentation on Experiences with Special Measures in the Region and Elsewhere · The Autonomous Region of Bougainville – elected reserved seats · PNG proposal – nominated reserved seats + local govt reservations · PNG NCD proposal · French territories – party lists with proportional representation · Australian – voluntary party quotas with preferential voting · Solomon Islands proposal	Hon. Francesca Semoso, MP Hon. Dame Carol Kidu, MP Lesley Clerk, former Aust MP

10:15 – 10:30am

TEA BREAK

10.30 – 11.15

Review of options for Melanesian countries, taking into account constitution, party system and electoral system · Fiji – voluntary party quotas, appointments to Upper House, (proportional list quotas?) · PNG – voluntary party quotas, nominated reserved seats, elected provincial reserved seats · Vanuatu - voluntary party quotas, nominated reserved seats, elected provincial reserved seats · Solomon Islands – nominated reserved seats, elected provincial reserved seats

Chair to summarize here

OBJECTIVE:	To Develop Country Strategies	Chaired by UNIFEM
11.15 – 1.00pm	Group Work - Country strategies for taking this forward and presentation of appropriate special measures and strategies for engaging with key policy-makers and stakeholders · Using the discussions above, participants to discuss in country groups special measures appropriate to their countries · Design basic strategies to take selected special measures forward · Actual process in each country for taking special measures forward to implementation, including technical assistance · For countries with strategies in place to share this with participants	Groups Facilitators

1: – 2.00pm

LUNCH

2.00 – 3:30pm

Group Reports · Fiji · Solomon Islands · Papua New Guinea · Vanuatu

3:30 – 3:45pm

AFTERNOON TEA

3:45 – 4:30pm	Where to from here? – Implications of measures on the ground · Endorse Outcomes and Next Steps	Partners Chaired by PIFS
4.30 – 4.45	Wrap Up and Thank You	PIFS