Gender Mainstreaming Crucial in the Works of Parliament

Fiji is at the forefront of mainstreaming gender in its works of Parliament.

These were the comments made by the Speaker of Parliament Hon. Dr Jiko Luveni while officiating at the one-day seminar on “Analysis Legislation from a Gender Perspective for Committee Chairs, their Deputies and Whips” in Parliament this morning.

Hon. Dr Luveni said such a seminar was intended to further boost the knowledge of members and give guidance and competency to analyse legislations from a gender-perspective.

“In Fiji, I am glad to say that we are at the forefront of efforts to mainstream gender in the works of

Parliament,” she said.

“We are one of, if not the only, Parliament in the world that has Standing Orders that makes it mandatory for Standing Committees to consider the issue of gender in their work and reflect it in their reports.”

“Mainstreaming gender in Parliament also means ensuring that our regulatory framework takes this into consideration.”

“Parliaments have a role to play in engaging the public and civil societies on the SDGs, discussing and passing legislations and monitoring government actions.”

At the same time, Hon. Dr Luveni also encouraged the Honourable Members to take advantage of the seminar to assist them in their daily work.

“I must stress that the gender-mainstreaming initiative cannot be successful without the support of Members of Parliament. As Speaker, I look to you committee Chairs, Deputies and Whips to take the lead role.”

“Your leadership amongst your Parliamentary colleagues is crucial and I look forward to your support in this endeavour,” Hon. Dr Luveni added.

The seminar was supported by the UNDP-Fiji Parliament Support Project.