In an effort to address the prevalent impact of violence in our communities, the Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG) Secretariat is currently collating submissions from Member countries to shape the MSG GESI Framework. The Framework will govern a subregional approach to this growing challenge in alignment with the MSG Leaders’ mandates and broader regional efforts.
Nestled in the vision of the MSG 2038 Prosperity for All Plan, Blue Pacific 2050, and the Revitalised Pacific Leaders Gender Equality Declaration (PLGED), the Melanesian countries aspire to elevate Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI) commitments made under the wider regional architecture.
During the last few weeks, feedback from Members have not only been insightful but also eye-opening. Discussions shed light on the reality of sexual and gender-based violence—and new and emerging forms of violence—including climate change and disaster-induced violence, tech-based violence, and sorcery accusation-related violence across MSG membership. While real-time data remains a challenge across most countries, individual members shared unique experiences on the devastating impacts that domestic violence can have on family members, particularly children and persons with disabilities.
Members’ contributions underscored the broader economic consequences for our MSG economies and emphasised the critical role played by Non-State Actors, NGOs, community organisations, churches and whole-of-government approaches in addressing this widespread and deeply concerning issue.
Under the Australian-funded Pacific Women Lead (PWL) programme and in partnership with the Pacific Community (SPC), these discussions are an essential part of the “Realising Women’s Rights and to Increase Effectiveness of Gender Equality in MSG” project to end violence, among other priorities.
The three components of the project are Women’s Economic Empowerment, Ending Violence Against Women and Girls (EVAWG), and Women in Leadership (WIL) – all grounded in the unique contexts of our Melanesian communities.
As a collective, MSG constitutes the largest population in the Pacific (86%) and reflects very high incidences of sexual and gender-based violence across the region.
In this context, an important question arises as to where the MSG Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI) Framework fits in the grand scheme of things.
As the largest subregion within the Pacific family, the Melanesian subregion has a profound responsibility to ensure that this initiative complements rather than duplicate the significant efforts already underway.
Moving forward, it will be essential to strengthen coordination, align priorities with existing regional mechanisms, and identify areas where the MSG can add distinct value.
At institutional levels, there is merit in sharing lessons on good practices and peer-to-peer exchange for technical capacity building, targeted collaboration, resource sharing, and subregional leadership spearheaded by male champions on gender equality and social inclusion.
The MSG Secretariat—in its ambition to strengthen coherence among membership—has learnt that it is crucial to engage civil societies, community leaders, churches, youth and women’s groups, to ensure sustainable and transformative impacts from grassroot level and beyond.
Members will participate at a validation workshop for finalisation, after which the Framework will be presented to the next MSG Ministers for Women meeting later this year.
The Regional GESI Framework aims to coherently commit to a region-wide effort to address violence while complementing respective members’ efforts at the domestic front.
MSG’s role will focus on facilitating this policy across the membership, including coordination of monitoring and governance towards MSG Leaders’ vision for improved social development indicators, and ending all forms of violence across MSG communities.
Mrs Tamani oversees Media & Communications at the MSG Secretariat.
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