The women in leadership retreat PNG was officially opened in Port Moresby on Thursday.
Hosted by the Joint Parliamentary Women’s Caucus, the meet comprises members of PNGs National Parliament and Bougainville House of Representatives. It is supported by United Nations Development Programme.
It is a transformative gathering uniting influential women leaders from across the nation to foster unity, cooperation and strategic initiatives.
The primary objective is to advocate for gender equality, women’s employment, women’s political participation and the eradication of gender base violence.
UNDP Resident Representative to PNG Nicholas Booth said gender equality is one of Papua New Guinea’s biggest challenges, and ranks high in the Pacific region.
Booth said gender equality will only be enforced if and when women have the same power as men.
“You will never solve gender in equality and you will never get to gender equality unless if women have the same power as men, and unless women lead equally with men,” he said.
Booth said this event will enable women in PNG to join hands in advocacy, political and economic employment to move forward as women leaders in this country.
Former PNG Politician Dame Carol Kidu said the best way to look at gender equality is to implement gender relationship based on principals of equality.
Kidu is an advocate against GBV and urges other women leaders to be advocates of gender equality in their community.