International Women's Year

South Pacific Regional Women's Conference 1975

Clairs Slatter, Organising Secretary for the Conference Planning Committee has written to Span about the proposed Conference.

'A group of Pacific Island women based in Fiji are planning a Pacific-wide Women's Conference for the later part of the year. It is hoped that women from all over the Pacific and from different backgrounds will participate in the Conference.

The Conference, we feel, could be an event of the utmost significance for the Pacific. For the first time, and in a regional form, the women of the Pacific nations will be able to give expression to feelings and conceptions they have of their roles and rights in their societies; to access their contribution to national development and how it is being promoted or hindered. There are many issues and questions that will be raised. The forum will be a consciousness-raising experience for all of us women in the Pacific. The outcome could be important: an increased participation in national and regional development.

The Palnning Committee, composed of Pacific Island women entirely, held its first formal meeting two weeks ago. Much of the ground work had already been done by an ad hoc planning group. Letters have been sent to women throughout the Region. It is most important that we reach the women of the Pacific—not only those articulate few in the twons and with hobs, but few in the towns and with jobs, but particularly the 'silent majority' in unrecognised employment in some of our societies, and the women in the rural areas, engaged in traditional employment. We feel that all available means of reaching our women must be used.'

The organising Committee hope to produce a broadsheet monthly and Spacific will carry information from this, in order to help spread word of the conference. Any women interested in this conference should write to Claire Slatter, c/- YWCA, P.O. Box 534, Suva, Fiji, for further information or with ideas, comments, suggestions, etc. Also you could write to the editor of Spacific and we will either publish your comments or pass them on to the organising committee.