CEDAW mock session

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Vanuatu’s Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women report to the United Nations is in May, so a mock session was held in March at the University of the South Pacific. The session was headed by the Minister for Justice and Social Welfare, who provided the delegation with a rehearsal before they travel to New York in May.

CEDAW representatives from Australia, Fiji and Samoa took on the role of the UN committee in the mock session. Their job was to question the Vanuatu government delegation on the progress of CEDAW in Vanuatu, in line with the actual question session happening in May. The proceedings were extremely helpful in preparing the delegation for the UN session.

The entire session was filmed in order to provide a training resource for other Pacific countries involved in CEDAW presentation preparation.

The CEDAW Vanuatu Government report is divided into 18 articles covering topics such as discrimination against women and equality in law and civil matters.

Packing up donations

The picture is of Johnna packing up a pile of mats to take to the victims from Ambrym. The staff from VRDTCA as well as various other local NGOs and churches took donations of clothing, mats, dishes, toys, etc. to the over one hundred families camped out in the auditorium at ex FOL, many of whom had lost their homes in events leading up to the National State of Emergency. We loaded up the entire trunk of the VRDTCA vehicle, and dropped off the donations of Friday morning.

Afta long March 3 problem we i bin hapen long Vila we i luk 3 man i bin lusum laef blong olgeta, fulap famili blong Ambrym komiuniti we oli lusum haos blong olgeta oli bin go stap tugeta long Ex-FOL. Long taem blong problem ia we i bin gat Stage of Emergency tu, fulap organaeseison oli bin givhan long ol famli we oli lusum evri samting blong olgeta. I gat help we i kam long saed blong kakai, klos, mo fulap narafala help i kam blong helpem ol famli ia oli bildim ap laef blong olgeta bakegen. VRDTCA mo RTC oli bin help tu long taem ia blong givim sapot i go long ol victim ia taem we oli stap long Ex-FOL. VRDTCA i bin fulmapem wan trak wetem ol samting we ol pipol ia oli save yusum kwik taem. Daerekta blong VRDTCA mo ol staf nao oli bin go blong givim aot ol samting ia long ol victims long EX-FOL. Spoksman blong ol victim i talem bigfala tank yu long VRDTCA mo i glad blong luk se wan NGO olsem i save givim help long taem blong problem. VRDTCA i glad tumas blong save help long taem blong wan problem olsem blong bildimap laef blong ol pipol ia bageken.

Gender Workshop February 2007

Long namba 27 Februari kasem namba 2 Maj, VRDTCA i bin organaesem wan jenda trening wokshop blong ol RTC. Fulap homekea trena mo sam maneja tu oli atendem wokshop ia blong lanem wanem hemi jenda, mo hao nao oli save mekem sua se ol gel mo boe oli gat semak janis blong stadi long wan RTC, mo gat wan braet fiuja. Britis Hae Komisen (BHC) long Fiji i bin givim mani long VRDTCA blong organeasem woksop ia, so mifala i wantem talem wan bigfala thank yu long evriwan long BHC. Woksop ia hemi wan bigfala sakses from ol patisipen oli bin kam wetem wan open mind mo oli bin kontributem fulap impoten toktok. VRDTCA i hop se bae planti RTC oli inkludem jenda long kerikulam blong olgeta.

The four day gender workshop took place at Dumbea Hall. The training was for 36 trainers and managers from all the Rural Training Centres around Vanuatu. The goal is that after the workshop, the trainers will teach the module to over 2400 students who are currently enrolled in the RTCs around the country.