CHOGM’s Women’s Forum – a meeting of ‘Brains’

The official opening and the first ever session of CHOGM’s Women’s Forum got underway yesterday  (23) on schedule with the morning speakers CHOGM Task Force Head Phyllis Muscat, Commonwealth Secretariat Head of Gender Amelia Kinahoi- Siamomua, Woman’s Forum Sub-committee Chair Dr. Claire Cassar and Michelle Musat. 

How the Women’s Forum came into being and seeing it to fruition was a huge achievement to those who painstakingly contributed towards that result. “The attendees are witness to history as a new chapter for action on empowerment of women has just unfolded,” said Muscat. 

The speakers traced the origins of this historic meeting that was of much interest to the attendees who didn’t specifically know all the details that led to the decision in holding such a forum that is firmly on par with the People’s Forum and Youth Forum which had already been established and held alongside CHOGM held every two years.

  

Making history 

The idea of the first ever women’s Forum emerged following the 10th Commonwealth Women Affairs Ministers Meeting that took place in 2013 in Bangladesh. There, the members of the Commonwealth Gender Plan of Action Monitoring Group agreed that, in order to affirm high-level support and direct top-level policies for gender equality and human rights, there was an urgent need for women to be given the opportunity to interact with Heads of Government and for the Commonwealth’s gender equality commitments to move higher up the agenda for Heads of Government.

The Maltese Government, in recognition of the need to raise awareness on such matters, proposed the organization of a Women’s Forum as a fourth forum (alongside business, youth and people’s forums) to be set-up ahead of the Heads of Government meeting itself. This has enabled us to highlight, at a top level, issues relating to women’s rights and empowerment of women as an economic force to drive growth and sustainability.

The theme 

The theme for the forum is ‘Women Ahead: Be All That You Can Be’. This message is clear in highlighting the empowerment of women who have the potential to change their own economic status as well as that of the communities and countries where they live. More often than not, women’s economic contributions go unrecognized and unequal opportunities continue to hamper their ability to empower themselves and improve their lives. The Women’s Forum targets to have an impact at an international level. The objectives of the 2015 Women’s Forum include; 

Place women’s Social and economic issues on the commonwealth agenda. 

Bring together people from across the globe to share stories of success.

Raise awareness about matters affecting women’s development so as to tackle poverty and inequality.

Create a networking platform for building new relationships and reinforcing existing ones.

Encourage younger generations of women to secure fulfillment in their lives and those of others.

Targets and aim

After tackling all these themes in the course of the program, the aim is to come up with a communiqué with agreed targets and strategies to be presented to Ministers of Foreign Affairs ahead of the Heads of Governments meeting. This communiqué is intended to highlight the importance and place women’s participation at all levels of decision-making and in all sectors of the Commonwealth’s agenda. The intention is for the Commonwealth Women’s Forum to become a permanent fixture in CHOGM programmes. It should be the focal point for discussions of women’s contributions in societies and a driver for furthering gender equality within the Commonwealth and beyond until the time comes when women’s equality has been achieved, becoming a non-issue and thus not warranting discussion. The first CHOGM Woman’s Forum, inaugurated by the President of Malta are attended by leaders, businesswomen, first ladies and role models from more than fifty countries. Various topics will be up for discussion, including an outlook on women’s empowerment and leadership, education, entrepreneurship, media and ICT

 

“CHOGM is a meeting of ‘Heads’ and the CHOGM’s Women’s Forum is a meeting of ‘Brains” 

The Malta Prime Minister Joseph Muscat won the hearts of women delegates with his closing comment at the inaugural CHOGM Women’s Forum, when he observed rather seriously that it is ironic that while next week the “Heads” of the Commonwealth will be meeting in Malta, he finds the first ever CHOGM’s Women’s Forum is a meeting of the “Brains”. That closing comment of the Prime Minister’s speech won a long thunderous applause that also saw all the ladies beaming. At the official opening session yesterday the spouse of the Prime Minster, Michelle Muscat also spoke welcoming the guests. Prime Minister Muscat will take over CHOGM’s chairmanship from Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena on 27 November 2015 for the next two years.