BY GEORGINA KEKEA
AN orientation workshop for provincial women leaders will be held in Honiara tomorrow. The orientation workshop aims to provide an opportunity for women’s caucus leaders from Malaita, Western and Guadalcanal provinces to review the draft Terms of Reference for the provincial caucus and how this could increase the political participation of women in decision making.
Another aim of the workshop is to build skills and confidence among rural caucus women leaders to engage in policy discussions with executives, other government officials and traditional and religious leaders. Also another aim is to determine possible caucus agenda items with timelines, in accordance with the national, provincial women’s policies and in view of the upcoming national elections.
Women leaders are said to play a significant role in addressing development and other challenges in their communities.
To support women’s caucus leaders, UN Women is organizing this orientation workshop in partnership with the Ministry of Women, Youth, Children and Family Affairs (MWYCFA) and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) through the United Nations Peacebuilding Fund (UNPBF) project.
At the same time, UNPBF is also supporting young leaders in the Western province in a Youth Peacebuilding Innovation Forum in Gizo, Western province.
To commence today, this forum is the second Youth Peacebuilding Innovative Forum at the provincial level. The Forum will highlight how to use social entrepreneurship and innovation to build peace and address local challenges. Participants in this Youth Forum in Gizo will connect with speakers and peers and teams of young innovators who will pitch their ideas to a panel of judges for the chance to win seed funding, mentoring and training to establish a social enterprise.
UNPBF is anticipating the attendance of 160 youth leaders and innovators from across Western Province.
