The three-day meeting concluded with a roundtable discussion, where the Women’s Caucus members - Governor for Central Province, Hon. Governor Rufina Peter, and Bougainville House of Representatives Parliamentarians; Deputy Speaker and Member for South Bougainville,Hon. Therese Naru Kaetavara; Member for North Bougainville, Hon. Amanda Masano; and Member for Mahari Open, Hon. Carolyn Poli had the opportunity to present the plan to development partners.   The plan outlines concrete actions to deliver on the commitments in the Joint Declaration on Women in Leadership which was signed at the United for Equality summit in Port Moresby in November 2023.

Governor Rufina Peter emphasized that experience from the last election indicated the need to start early in changing mindsets to vote for women candidates in parliamentary elections.

“We left it too late to raise awareness.  With elections coming up in June 2025 for the Bougainville House of Representative and the National General Elections in 2027, time is now of the essence to take action to increase women’s representation in both parliaments.”

UNDP Resident Representative, Mr. Nicholas Booth, who participated in the roundtable discussions stated that the Women’s Caucus will have UNDP’s support in delivering on the strategic plan. 

‘’I’m delighted to see this early and decisive action to deliver on the Joint Declaration.   I wish to congratulate you for producing this concrete strategy to turn those commitments into reality,’’ he said. 

The establishment of the Joint Parliamentary Women's Caucus in 2023, with the support of the Strengthening PNG's Parliament Project through UNDP, is a significant step towards fostering collaboration among female parliamentarians and advancing their agendas. The Caucus has already held its inaugural meeting and signed a joint declaration, demonstrating a commitment to collective action and the pursuit of gender equality in politics. The Joint Parliamentary Women’s Caucus leverages strategic initiatives, advocacy efforts, and partnerships across civil society, governmental bodies, and international organizations to catalyze systemic change.

‘’I believe it is timely for us to advocate further for constitutional sanctioning of gender equality and women empowerment, as women MPs, our commitment and collaboration in implementing key strategies is paramount in achieving our goals for fair participation at the political decision-making levels,’’ said Hon. Therese Naru Kaetavara. 

The meeting was made possible through the generous support of the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade under the UNDP implemented Strengthen PNG’s Parliament Project.

Dr Joanne Loundes, Deputy High Commissioner of the Australian High Commission acknowledged the ongoing support of UNDP’s Strengthening PNG's Parliament Project through DFAT, and this will be continued throughout the project implementation time frame. 

Other high-level development partners and donors, including, H.E. Peter Zwart, High Commissioner, New Zealand High Commission and Dr Hans Lambrech, Head of Co-operation, European Union, attended the roundtable event.