[Press-releases] Press Release - SPC Gender Award 2007 presented to Land Resources Division for its gender-inclusive approach

[Rosita Hoffmann]

Press Release

 

SPC Gender Award 2007 presented to Land Resources Division for its
gender-inclusive approach

 

Wednesday 7 November 2007, Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC)
CRGA 37, Apia, Samoa - For the first time at an SPC governing body
meeting, the Secretariat has rewarded one of its programmes for its
gender-inclusive approach to activities developed in countries
throughout the region.

 

The SPC Land Resources Division is the recipient of the 2007 award,
which has been created to recognise the critical importance of gender
issues and concerns in development, both in the corporate management of
regional organisations such as SPC and in the delivery of technical
assistance and programmes.

 

'Our region continues to struggle to meet its gender-equality
commitments at national, regional and international level,' stressed
Linda Petersen, SPC Human Development Programme Manager, to delegates
from SPC member Pacific Island countries and territories this morning
during the presentation of the award. 

 

'The award is aimed at promoting increased integration of gender into
all aspects of our organisation's work. The SPC Land Resources Division
has made significant efforts through its DSAP programme - Developing
Sustainable Agriculture in the Pacific - to integrate women as well as
youth in its activities in many different ways, including its
recruitment process and its capacity-building activities using gender
indicators as a means of measuring women's participation.'

 

The award is in line with the Council of Regional Organisations in the
Pacific (CROP) gender policy and demonstrates SPC's commitment to
fulfilling the policy's requirements.

 

For more information, contact Rosita Hoffmann, SPC Communications and
Public Relations Adviser, via email: RositaH at spc.int or by phone: +685
7222324.

 

Captions for the photographs

 

Photo 1: From left to right: Ms Linda PETERSEN, SPC Human Development
Programme Manager; Mr Ermenegilde SIMETE, CRGA Chairman and President of
the Assembly of Wallis and Futuna; and Dr 'Aleki SISIFA, Director of SPC
Land Resources Division

 

Photo 2: The SPC Gender Award is a sculpture symbolising the traditional
family

 

Background information:

The SPC Gender Award is a sculpture symbolising the traditional family.
The outer curved vertical columns represent the female and male
entities, within which the mother and the father are reflected. In the
centre, children complete this vision of balance and harmony. To remove
any of these interrelated elements will cause the structure to collapse.

 

SPC's governing council is the Conference of the Pacific Community,
which meets every two years. In years when the Conference does not meet,
the Committee of Representatives of Governments and Administrations
(CRGA - a committee of the Conference) is empowered to make decisions.
The Government of Samoa is hosting the 2007 meetings of the SPC
governing body in Apia: the 37th Meeting of CRGA (7-9 November 2007) and
the 5th Conference of the Pacific Community (12-13 November 2007). The
5th Conference is also the 60th Anniversary Conference of SPC, as 2007
marks SPC's 60th year of service to the Pacific region.

 

SPC member countries and territories: American Samoa, Australia, Cook
Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji Islands, France, French
Polynesia, Guam, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru, New Caledonia, New
Zealand, Niue, Northern Mariana Islands, Palau, Papua New Guinea,
Pitcairn Islands, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tokelau, Tonga, Tuvalu, United
States of America, Vanuatu, Wallis and Futuna.

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