Solomon Is.
The role of women as actors in the search for peaceful settlements of today's...
The role of women as actors in the search for peaceful settlements of today's conflicts is an indispensable requirement for sustainable peace and development for developing countries, in particular countries such as mine, which is one of the 18 among the 49 least developed countries that are emerging from conflict.
During our ethnic conflict, a group of women from multi-ethnic backgrounds ga...
During our ethnic conflict, a group of women from multi-ethnic backgrounds gathered under their own initiative to approach and speak to militants on both sides. As mothers, they used their respective cultural norms to draw militants' attention to the social and human consequences of their actions. In so doing, they gained their trust and confidence in order to provide essential items across conflict lines. Mine is a country of more than half a million people who speak some 87 different languages.
For the past seven years, Solomon Islands has been assisted by the Regional A...
For the past seven years, Solomon Islands has been assisted by the Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands (RAMSI). The Mission is made up of Pacific neighbours, led by Australia and strongly supported by New Zealand. RAMSI has provided us space and support to promote and implement resolution 1325 (2000) nationally and throughout the Government. In that respect, Solomon Islands has restructured its State security institution. For the first time in our young history, we have more women in our police force. The police force has also established a unit to deal with post-conflict sexual and gender-based violence, in coordination with other line ministries and staffed with officers trained in gender sensitivity and human rights.
On the issue of mainstreaming gender funding within the Government system, th...
On the issue of mainstreaming gender funding within the Government system, that is a work in progress. I am pleased to say that baseline data have been established, allowing small women's machinery in the country to develop strategies to enhance gender capacity within the national system. Having said that, the challenge ahead is huge. The social-system structures, institutions and values of Solomon Islands are centred on our natural resources. Eighty per cent of Solomon Islands land is customarily owned and undocumented. Traditional land operates under three land-tenure systems: matrilineal, patrilineal and chiefly.
To localize resolution 1325 (2000) in small island developing States, we must...
To localize resolution 1325 (2000) in small island developing States, we must look at the challenges women face on a daily basis, in particular the impact of climate change, which is now a threat multiplier.
Climate change has induced population relocations and is uprooting population...
Climate change has induced population relocations and is uprooting populations from low-lying islands to higher ones. People leave their ancestral land and move into other land-tenure systems. If not well managed, that will create another time bomb, as land allocated to relocated populations is fixed and suffers from overuse for agricultural production. It is a matter of time before we see displaced populations entering customary lands, which will trigger future hot spots of conflict.
The frequency of natural disasters has created food insecurity for women and ...
The frequency of natural disasters has created food insecurity for women and has, to some extent, disempowered them, as their land is swallowed up by the rising sea. Water insecurity is forcing mothers to make difficult choices, including having to spend more time seeking food to put on the table and neglecting children and not sending them to school. Equipping Solomon Islands women with technologies for storing traditional crops will better prepare them to manage the frequent disasters they face.
On the issue of governance, Solomon Islands adopted a political system &mdash...
On the issue of governance, Solomon Islands adopted a political system — the Westminster system — that does not recognize the traditional decision-making role of women in tribal societies. Women's traditional role gets subsumed in the modern decision making-process, which further weakens the power base of women in their traditional setting.
I am pleased to say that Solomon Islands has not shied away from looking at t...
I am pleased to say that Solomon Islands has not shied away from looking at the issue of gender representation in our national Parliament. An ambitious plan for temporary measures to advance women's participation was launched last year. However, it did not receive enough support and needed more consultation. We hope that it will receive attention over time. The initiative did generate a tsunami of interest, and we have an ongoing conversation on it. I merely mention that because women in our part of the globe live and operate in two worlds, the traditional and the modern world.
The challenges faced by my country in implementing resolution 1325 (2000) inc...
The challenges faced by my country in implementing resolution 1325 (2000) include the establishment of a gender early warning system. However, it was project-driven, and the initiative slowed when the project ended. It is important that, whatever gender-related activities are carried out, it is done on a sustainable way and established within existing gender institutions, in particular faith-based women's groups that are rural-based, community-focused and meet frequently.
Secondly, there needs to be a shift in approach by the United Nations in supp...
Secondly, there needs to be a shift in approach by the United Nations in supporting the implementation of resolution 1325 (2000), away from a one-size-fits-all approach of over-regionalizing issues while disregarding the varying levels of development within Pacific small island developing States and country-specific development needs. In that respect, over the years, Solomon Islands has continued to call for upgrading the United Nations presence in our country, as we are currently managed from a regional office abroad.
Thirdly, it is important that the multilateral system work for small countrie...
Thirdly, it is important that the multilateral system work for small countries. Too often, we see that we are too small for the global system to work for us.
In conclusion, Solomon Islands joins others in welcoming the operationalizati...
In conclusion, Solomon Islands joins others in welcoming the operationalization of UN Women, looks forward to working with the new gender entity and reaffirms its commitment to resolution 1325 (2000).
Solomon Islands has adopted various conflict-prevention mechanisms in an effo...
Solomon Islands has adopted various conflict-prevention mechanisms in an effort to prevent the country from sliding back into conflict. The South African model of a truth and reconciliation commission is operating, allowing victims to seek justice and offenders forgiveness. The Government is looking at the notion of complementing that with a forgiveness bill to bring about a process for former militants who seek reconciliation with society.