Women: life blood of the Pacific
From December 13 - 16 1994 at Nadi, Fiji, a meeting of women from the Non-Self-Governing Territories and Colonies of the Pacific took place, Its purpose was to establish a grassroots network of Pacific women with the initial aim of participating in the Fourth
United Nations World Conference on Women and NGO Forum being held in Beijing in September 1995.
THE ORGANISER of the Nadi meeting, Susanna Ounei-Small, Assistant Director for Decolonisation at the Fiji-based Pacific Concerns Resource Centre (Secretariat of the Nuclear Free and Independent Pacific movement), found that her original terms of reference for the meeting to bring together women from the 'non-selfgoverning territories' as defined by the PCRC were too restrictive. They did not reflect the reality of the Pacific, so she sought to broaden these to include indigenous women from Aotearoa (New Zealand), Australia, Guam and Hawaii.
It was hoped to have two women from each colony represented in Nadi, but personal circumstances and financial constraints meant that this was not always possible. Women came from East Timor, West Papua (Irian Jaya), Tahiti, Kanaky (New Caledonia) as well as an Aboriginal representative from Australia, and a Maori woman from Aotearoa (New Zealand).
The December meeting was the preliminary meeting in a three-stage project to ensure that the special needs of colonised women are heard both within the Pacific region and in the international arena. It was also the first occasion in which women representatives of all the participating peoples had been able to share their stories and to co-ordinate their activities. All felt that the meeting was long overdue.
Previously, most of the international networking from the countries involved had been done by men, leaving women with very little access to the information or the international contacts. The Nadi meeting was a valuable vehicle for the women to be thoroughly briefed about the Beijing Conference. This included presentations about the world conferences on women, including the personal experiences of two delegates, from East
Timor and Kanaky, who participated in
Notes
1. Pacific Women's Documentation the Nairobi Conference in 1985. As
Project Workshop and Project Status
Elizabeth Cox of IWDA (International
Report, October 1994
Women's Development Agency writes:
The goals of Omomo Melen Pacific
"Men and government officials are:
dominated Pacific participation in the a) to enable women from non-self-
Third World Conference on Women, in governing territories and colonies in the Pacific to come together and
Nairobi in 1985. There was little or no identify common concerns;
feedback or follow up in Pacific countries.
b) to represent these concerns
A handful of Pacific NGO grassroots through full and active participation at the Fourth World Conference on development workers did participate in the
Women and NGO forum;
NGO Forum in Nairobi, but they went at c) to establish an ongoing network the last moment, uninformed and and strengthen solidarity among women of the colonies who share a unprepared for such a huge event. The similar perspective and experiences;
experience was overwhelming and not d) to raise awareness of peoples of easily related to home country situations
Pacific colonies and their struggles - and experiences.
the need for de-colonisation and the right to self-determination for Kanaky,
In a few cases the participation by
East Timor, West Papua, workers from Pacific NGOs in the NGO
Bougainville, Tahiti, other Pacific
Forum at Nairobi inspired small one-off colonies and the indigenous peoples of Aotearoa, Australia and the Torres events at home, but rarely did it sustain
Strait Islands.
grassroots awareness raising and action
The network takes its name from the over the decade between Nairobi and laa language of Ouva atoll in Kanaky
(New Caledonia).
Beijing".!
Over the course of the Nadi meeting,
A follow-up meeting to assess the interviews were conducted with all benefits of the Beijing forum, and to delegates. The contents of these interviews, together with other evaluate how the network will best resource material on the struggles of function to support individual members in women from non-self-governing their work, is scheduled to take place territories and colonies in the Pacific form the basis of Omomo Melen around December 1995.
Pacific, a 42 page publication
Susanna Ounei-Small says: "The available from PO Box, Otautahi meeting was part of our preparations for
(Christchurch), Aotearoa (New the United Nations Fourth World
Zealand). Please include a reasonable donation to cover printing
Conference on Women, but the work will and postage costs go well beyond the Beijing meeting to
The Nadi meeting was also attended support the efforts of Pacific women by observers from women's groups and media from Tonga, Fiji, AIDAB struggling for independence. Despite
(Australian International having different colonial masters and
Development Assistance Bureau, being at different stages of struggle, the
PCRC, and resource people from
Corso in Aotearoa/New Zealand, and similarities of our experiences and needs
IWDA and CAA (Community Aid are overwhelming, so we need a network
Abroad), both Australian agencies.
to support each other wherever possible"
Funding for the meeting came from
Corso, IWDA, CUSO (Canadian
University Services Overseas, CAA, and The Australian National Council of Churches.
25
International Viewpoint n° 271 — November 1995
France