“Our presence here underscores our shared commitment to addressing critical issues facing our region, particularly those concerning the health of young people, women and girls, including their sexual and reproductive health and rights, in the face of increasing challenges associated with climate change and natural disasters,” said Hon. Charmaine Scotty, Nauru’s Minister for Health, Women and Social Affairs, addressing the delegates from Micronesian countries who joined the 2nd Micronesian Ministers for Women Conference that Nauru hosted last week.
Most of the countries that participated in this conference held from 15 to 19 April 2024, were the Member States that the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) is assisting under the current 7th Multi-Country Programme for the Pacific small island developing states (SIDS) 2023-2027, including the Federated States of Micronesia, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru, and Palau. Ministers and key policy-makers from these Northern Pacific SIDS discussed priorities for gender equality and women’s empowerment in the sub-region, in the lead up to the upcoming Triennial Conference of Pacific Women and Pacific Islands Forum Women Leaders Meeting scheduled in July in Majuro, Marshall Islands.
More than half (56%) of Nauru’s 12,000 plus population are below 25 years of age, and this cohort is increasing. The country’s high Adolescent Birth Rate that stands at 66 births among 1,000 girls aged 15-19 - the highest among the 14 Pacific SIDS - is among concerns of the government. Hon. Minister Scotty highlighted that ensuring the sexual and reproductive health and rights of all individuals, particularly young people and women, is fundamental to achieving Nauru’s National Sustainable Development Strategy (2019-2030) and the country’s commitment to the global 2030 Agenda.
“We are strengthening our healthcare infrastructure to ensure the provision of comprehensive sexual reproductive health services, including access to quality maternal health care facilities, cervical cancer screening, contraception, and family planning counseling and services, and capacity development of our health care workers to provide these services,” Hon. Minister added.
Many Pacific SIDS including Kiribati, with support from UNFPA’s Transformative Agenda programme funded by Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), have started rolling out “Family Life Education” (FLE, also globally referred to often as Comprehensive Sexuality Education or CSE ) both in- and out-of-school, to equip students as well as those who dropped out from school with ‘Life Skills,’ also for eliminating teenage pregnancies and gender-based violence (GBV). This is in line with the “Revitalized” Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Declaration on Achieving Gender Equality through the 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent adopted last November 2023 in Cook Islands where the PIF Leaders re-committed their countries to “ensuring universal health coverage for all Pacific peoples particularly women and girls in all their diversity, including Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights” (Para 13 iv), eliminating GBV (13 v), and to education that promotes “gender equality and social inclusion and Comprehensive Sexuality Education” (13 vii).
The Kiribati delegation headed by Ms. Uritina Etera, Officer-in-Charge (Senior Assistant Secretary) of the Ministry of Women Youth Sports and Social Affairs, shared the outcome of the recent assessment that demonstrated that FLE implemented in the country with UNFPA support, has indeed led to a decrease in the number of girls who dropped out from school and an increase in positive relationships among young people.
“Educating everyone in society, particularly students and youth within and outside of the formal education system, is one of the Kiribati government's priorities in addressing major issues such as sexually transmitted infections, cervical cancer, and unintended pregnancy among young girls, as well as harmful social norms, violence against women and girls, poverty, and many more,” affirmed Ms. Etera.
The Micronesian ministers and senior officials in charge of women’s affairs agreed on and re-affirmed the importance of “collective commitment to advancing health for women, and young people especially girls” so that they can “make informed decisions about their reproductive health and well-being” (Hon. Minister Charmaine Scotty). The five-day high-level gathering concluded by announcing that the next 3rd Micronesian Ministers for Women Conference will be held in the Federated States of Micronesia in 2027.
