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7WAMM

7th Commonwealth Women's Ministers' Meeting, Fiji 30 May-2 June 2004

Commonwealth Secretary-General Don McKinnon; Adi Asenaca Caucau, Minister for Womens Affairs, Fiji, Winston Cox, Commonwealth Deputy Secretary-General; Nancy Spence, Director, Social Transformation Programmes Division Commonwealth Secretariat and Dr Rawwida Baksh. Deputy Director and Head of Gender Section, Commonwealth Secretariat
Commonwealth Secretary-General Don McKinnon; Adi Asenaca Caucau, Minister for Womens Affairs, Fiji, Winston Cox, Commonwealth Deputy Secretary-General; Nancy Spence, Director, Social Transformation Programmes Division Commonwealth Secretariat and Dr Rawwida Baksh, Deputy Director and Head of Gender Section, Commonwealth Secretariat.

 
Issues of peace, governance and democracy, and socio-economic development cannot be divorced from those of gender equality.The Commonwealth's vision of equality between women and men is based on the association's fundamental values of democracy and good governance, human rights and the rule of law, and people-centred sustainable development. (Rt. Hon. Don McKinnon, Commonwealth Secretary-General)

Consultations, sharing of experiences and consensus building lie at the heart of the Commonwealth and form an integral part of the Commonwealth's strategy to advance gender equality.

The Seventh Commonwealth Gender/Women's Ministers' Meeting (7WAMM) that took place in Fiji from 30 May-2 June 2004, was the second Meeting to be held in the new millennium, reflecting the importance that the Commonwealth attaches to gender issues. The meeting preceded the United Nations Conference on the implementation of the Beijing Platform for Action (Beijing+10) in 2005 and was an important milestone for member governments. Commonwealth Ministers adopted a new Plan of Action (PoA) that will guide Commonwealth action for a decade from 2005-2015.

Commonwealth action is currently guided by the principles and mechanisms set out in the 1995 Commonwealth Plan of Action on Gender and Development and its Update (2000-2005).  In November 1999, the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Durban endorsed the Update to the 1995 Commonwealth Plan of Action (PoA) on Gender and Development: Advancing the Commonwealth Agenda into the New Millennium (2000-2005).

This triennial ministerial meeting provided a strategic opportunity for Commonwealth Governments, the Secretariat and civil society to build consensus on priority issues, take stock of progress relating to gender equality and equity since 1995 and make recommendations to advance the agenda in the next decade 2005-2015.

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