Kreetika Kumar 
Involving women in village discussions, particularly on key issues like water management is critical
This was highlighted by Public Works Minister Ro Filipe Tuisawau while speaking at the Climate Resilience Pathways: Water Security & WASH in Asia-Pacific Suva Conference.
Ro Filipe acknowledged the growing focus on gender equity, disability, and social inclusion and highlighted its inclusion in development discussions.
He added that women’s participation was essential for effective decision-making, especially on matters that directly affected households and community life.
“I’ve stressed to most of our villages to include women in all the discussion, because a lot of the Talanoa in our village halls are mostly men. But when we discuss water, I’ve emphasized in the province that we must include women because they are the ones who manage water in the home.”
Ro Filipe also highlighted the need to prioritize the water-energy nexus in future development programs.
USP Vice Chancellor Professor Pal Ahluwalia added that the conference was expected to be used as a platform to exchange ideas and exchange research data moving forward.
He said that Fiji must harness this rich traditional knowledge alongside contemporary scientific methods to inform policy and practice, ensuring that researchers were rooted in both scientific rigor and local wisdom.
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