WOMEN, PEACE AND SECURITY:
FIJI

UNIFEM WOMEN, WAR AND PEACE WEB PORTAL: FIJI

"Working for Peace is not easy, but it is very important. It means, that we are working to ensure that in our country, we are showing an interest or a commitment to not just think about or look after ourselves, but also our neighbor, families and groups who may not be as well-off or fortunate as us. We are listening and learning to understand the different communities that together make up the one family that we belong to as Fiji Islands, because we are thinking about everyone's needs. And when we have peace in our communities, in our country, our government - our leaders, are able to concentrate on making good development decisions about issues like education, health and the environment. When there is peace, it means people have been working together to discuss problems that our country or our community may be facing. When there is peace, it also means that families are also talking about things that affect them and working together to work through whatever problems they maybe facing. So Peace is everyone's responsibility - we are all instruments of Peace."

Vinaka-Shukria- 31 October, 2002 (?)

"We can no longer ignore the contributions of women and girls to all stages of conflict resolution, peacemaking, peace-keeping and reconstruction processes […] This new aspect of multilateralism has emerged in recent decades and demands appropriate interventions. […] women in our region have a long history of active interest in sustainable peace. They continue to do so today as the study well documents the successful intermediary role women played during the conflict in Bougainville, one of the UN success stories in peacebuilding. […] Similarly, women in Fiji and in the Solomon Islands have engaged in their traditional roles as peacemakers during times of crises in their respective countries. Regionally, a growing network of women’s groups and informal activities is supporting peace efforts in our region."

Amraiya Naidu, Fiji’ Permanent Representative to the United Nation, and Chairman of the Pacific Islands Forum Group,
during the open debate of the Security Council on Women, Peace and Security, 28 October 2002