The 8th annual CDI Pacific Parliamentary Dialogue was held from 11 to 13 December 2006 in Samoa, in association with the Legislative Assembly of Samoa.
The 2006 Dialogue provided a forum for Members of Parliament from the Pacific Island Countries, Australia and New Zealand to discuss public leadership with regional and international colleagues in a practical, non-partisan and dynamic environment. Creating personal networks among MPs and with regional institutions, the Dialogue explored the foundations of public leadership in the Pacific Islands and thereby helped strengthen and enhance the political governance of Pacific Island Countries.
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| ^ Ms Anna PADARATH, Young Women's Officer - Fiji Women's Rights Movement, Fiji, Hon FIAME Naomi Mata'afa MP, Minister of Women, Community & Social Development, Samoa, & Senator Marise PAYNE, Australia |
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A special feature of the event this year was a full-day's programming devoted to the subject of 'Women in parliamentary politics in the Pacific', which included female parliamentarians, political party leaders, and civil society organisations.
Conceived and supported by the Centre for Democratic Institutions, in association in 2006 with the Legislative Assembly of Samoa, The Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID), New Zealand's International Aid & Development Agency (NZAID), and the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) - who sponsored the participation of representatives from the new Bougainville House of Representatives - the Pacific Parliamentary Dialogue constitutes part of Australia's ongoing support for elected public officials, their staff and the formal institutions of political governance in the Pacific. CDI places a premium on encouraging the advancement of and skills transfer to young Pacific political leaders, and particularly women leaders.
Participants focused on ways of mediating between their constituents' concerns and the national interest, advancing the representation of women in Pacific parliaments, learning about parliamentary practice and the political system in Samoa, and gaining a better understanding of the regional institutional structures. The Dialogue thereby contributed to improving political governance in partner countries by exposing participants to new ideas and enabling them to engage with fellow political practitioners on issues concerning parliamentary practice, constituency politics and the role of women in political representation, and to managing governance challenges in the Pacific better through regional approaches.
A full report on this activity will be posted below in the near future.
