Radio New Zealand - Te Reo Irirangi o Aotearoa

Solomons cabinet refuses to approve UN report on women before CEDAW meeting

Posted at 19:42 on 31 July, 2012 UTC

The Solomon Islands cabinet has refused to approve a report on women in time for its submission to a meeting of a United Nations gender discrimination committee.

Solomon Islands is one of the few states party to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women that has never submitted a country report.

The permanent secretary for the Ministry of Women, Youth, Children and Family Affairs says cabinet has not explained its decision to withhold the report.

But Ethel Sigimanu says this denies Solomon Islands the opportunity to inform the committee of the progress it is making on meeting its obligations under the convention.

“But also it means we will be denied of some guidance by the CEDAW committee as to what Solomon Islands as a state party needs to perhaps focus priority attention on.”

Ethel Sigimanu says although she’s very discouraged, her ministry will forge on with attempts to implement CEDAW.