Pre-Summit Focus Groups
This year a series of Pre-Summit Focus Group meetings were held at the Women’s Summit Secretariat from 24 - 26 June. Each of the three sessions was attended by 10 - 12 women representing organisations that are affiliated with the National Council of Women’s Organisations (NCWO). Participants were able to represent the issues which are uppermost in the minds of women today. Many had also participated in the Summits over the past six years and wanted to express their views on how this annual women’s meeting could become much more impactful.
Some women felt that the Summit ought to become more of a launching and reporting platform for year-round programmes to advance the Women’s Agenda in workplace and society.
To this end, acknowleding the wide-ranging work of the Ministry of Women, Family & Community Development and its limited capacity and resources, the women discussed the possibility of collaborating much more closely with the Ministry to optimise outcomes. They mooted the idea of creating Action Groups or Task Forces to ensure that the momentum of each year’s Summit is not lost. They would then share the responsibility for reporting on progress achieved over the 12 months before the 2010 Summit Roundtable.
They discussed the need to develop a blueprint for action to achieve the Government’s stated commitment to a 30 percent representation of women in key management and leadership positions, arguing that these targets should be adopted more readily in the public sector, education and in Government-linked Companies to start with.
Among the suggestions which the discussion group participants felt would invigorate the Summit format was the opportunity to dialogue with the Deputy Prime Minister who has confirmed his attendance. This suggestion has been put forward to the Ministry and the DPM’s office.
The women that participated in the discussion group have undertaken to continue to meet separately with other women’s groups to decide on the major issues and recommendations to be raised at this year’s Summit Roundtable.
Photos from the Pre-Summit Discussions
