A Cook Islands delegation led by the Minister for Internal Affairs attended the Women’s Triennial Conference and Women Ministers Meetings in Marshall Islands this week.

Led by Minister Rose Toki-Brown, the delegation included key members from the Ministry of Internal Affairs: Secretary Anne Herman, director of welfare services Grace Chynoweth, and manager of social policy and services Princess Raukete.

The delegation attended the 15^th Triennial Conference of Pacific Women, 8^th Meeting of the Pacific Ministers for Women, and the third Pacific Islands Forum Women Leaders Meeting in Majuro from July 21-25 (local time).

In a statement released on Monday, the Ministry of Internal Affairs said key discussions focused on reviewing achievements since the last meeting in 2021, addressing ongoing challenges, and setting priorities for the next three years.

“These priorities include the health of women and girls, prevention of gender-based violence, and gender-responsive climate justice,” the ministry said.

“From the last outcome, key priorities included increasing women’s political participation, improving access to education and economic opportunities for women, and enhancing support systems for survivors of gender-based violence.”

The Cook Islands delegation was eager to contribute to these critical discussions, sharing its progress and learning from other nations.

“The team is committed to join and participate with drafting actionable outcomes that will guide regional efforts towards gender equality and women’s empowerment over the next three years.”

This significant event, funded by the Pacific Community (SPC) and supported by the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat (PIFS), gathered participants from government ministries, non-government organisations and donor agencies such as UN Women, UNFPA, SPREP, ADB, and CROP.

The conference was the primary mechanism for monitoring progress on the Pacific Platform for Action for Gender Equality and Women’s Human Rights 2018 – 2030 (PPA).

The theme of the conference, “An piliñliñ koba kōmman Lometo for a Resilient and Sustainable Pacific,” which translates to “droplets of water creating an ocean”, symbolised the collective strength of individual efforts.

President of the Republic of the Marshall Island, Hilda Heine, delivered strong opening remarks, highlighting the resilience and cultural wisdom of Marshallese women.

President Heine emphasised that advancing women’s roles is a continuous process, underscoring the importance of mentoring the next generation of women leaders.

The conference was also attended by the Prime Minister of Tuvalu, Feleti Teo, and the Vice President of Palau, Uduch Sengebau Senior.