NAME OF ORGANIZATION:

Women and Development Centre

ADDRESS

P.O. Box 62
Nuku’alofa, Tonga

E-mail: polotu@pmo.gov.to
URL: www.wdc.pmo.gov.to

HEAD OF ORGANIZATION:

Hon James Cecil Cocker, Minister Responsible for Women’s Affairs

YEAR OF ESTABLISHMENT:

1993

ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE:

Organizational Chart

OBJECTIVES AND FUNCTIONS:

Introduction
The Women and Development Centre is the national machinery for women and gender and development in Tonga. It’s primary role is to coordinate issues of special concern for women. The WDC was initially created in Cabinet Decision 186 of 17 February, 1993 as the Women Affairs Unit. It was later redesignated as the Women and Development Centre in 1996.

Vision
To Promote a Gender Equity, Harmonious Society and a Better Future for All.

Mission
To promote the full and equal participation of men, women and children in the Kingdom of Tonga in economic, social and cultural development through facilitating Policy formulation and monitoring of the implementation of programmes.

Mandate
The mandate of the Centre is as directed in CD 186 of 17 February, 1993 which is as follows:
A National Policy is to be developed on Women and Development.
The Prime Minister’s Office is to continue to coordinate women activities in Tonga and to formally designate a unit to work for women activities.
a). A National Committee on Women Affairs is to be set up to review and coordinate issues of special concern to Women Affairs
b). The Prime Minister’s Office is to propose for Cabinet consideration membership of the National Committee on Women Affairs
c). In order to enhance the effectiveness of Government effort towards the development of women affairs in the Kingdom and in spite of constraint on Government resources, and in appreciation of the positive development in the NGO sector in terms of its accessibility and accountability to women in the community, Government recognizes and support the activities of the Langafonua National Women’s Council in women and development in the Kingdom.

Since 1993, there has been a paradigm shift from the emphasis on women alone to gender and development. In line with this shift, the Government of Tonga established the National Advisory Committee on Gender and Development in July 1999. On 3rd August 2001, Government approved the National Policy on Gender and Development.

The WDC Corporate Plan is therefore based in accordance with its mandate from Cabinet, the National Policy on Gender and Development and in accordance with the 1994 Pacific Platform for Action, 1995 Beijing Platform for Action and the Commonwealth Gender and Development commitments.

Objective 1 To efficiently coordinate the implementation of the National Policy on Gender and Development.
Programmes will be based on the coordination of the implementation of the National Policy on Gender and Development.

Objective 2 To improve networking, collection and dissemination of information on women’s issues at national, regional and international level.
Programmes will be based on creating information networks, collection and dissemination of information on women’s issues

Objective 3 To strengthen and enhance the institutional mechanism for the advancement for women.
Programmes will be based on strengthening and enhancing international, regional and national mechanisms that promotes the development of women.

Objective 4 To efficiently provide secretariat services to the National Advisory Committee on Gender and Development [NACGAD]
Programmes will be based on providing efficient secretariat services to the National Advisory Committee on Gender and Development

Objective 5 To facilitate the coordination and implementation of community programmes and activities on women and gender and development locally in the region and globally
The Programme for this will be based on facilitating the programmes of the National Council of Women and women NGOs.

Objective 6 To efficiently administer the Women and Development Centre
The Programme for this will be based on the efficient administration of the Women and Development Centre.

MAIN INITIATIVES, ACTIVITIES, PROJECTS, PROGRAMMES:

The Work Programme for the Annual Management Plan of the Women and Development Centre for the year 2004/2005 period, will be based on the following objectives:

The work programme priority for the WDC for 2004/05 year will be under objectives 1 – 2, which will be Voter Education, Public Awareness Campaign on the National Policy on Gender and Development and on CEDAW Awareness and Research. The work programme under objectives 3-8 will continue as the routine role of the WDC. The programmes and activities the WDC aims to achieve in her Annual Management Plan for the 2004/2005 year are as follows:

Objective 1 To effectively and efficiently coordinate the implementation of the National Policy on Gender and Development.

Programmes 1.1. “Promote equal access and participation in decision making both at work, in the family and society” [NPGAD,Annexpg.6].

Programme 1.2 “Assessment of the CEDAW provisions...” [NPGADAnnexpg.3] & “Plan of Action on CEDAW” [NPGADAnnexpg.3].

Programme 1.3 A National Summit on the National Policy on Gender and Development

Programme 1. 4 Design Implementation Framework & Prioritisation of GAD Policy Areas

Programme 1. 5 Implementation of the National Policy on GAD Phase I

Objective 2 To improve Networking, Collection and Dissemination of Information of Women’s and Gender Issues at National, Regional and International Level.

Programme 2.1 Public awareness campaign on the National Policy on Gender and Development

Programme 2.2 Production of up-to-date Print Information
Programme 2.3 Development and Update of WDC Website

Objective 3 To strengthen and enhance the institutional mechanism for the advancement for women

Programme 3.1 To Promote the equal priority of voting for both men and women representation in Parliamentary Elections.

Programme 3.2 To Encourage Tongan Women to be candidates for Parliamentary Elections.

Programme 3.3 Strengthen networks with stakeholders of international instruments for the advancement of women such as CEDAW, the BPA, the Commonwealth Gender and Development Plans of Action and the Millennium Development Goals

Programme 3.4 Reporting on Tonga’s implementation of international instruments such as CEDAW, the BPA, the Commonwealth Gender and Development Plans of Action and the Millennium Development Goals

Objective 4 To efficiently provide secretariat services to the National Advisory Committee on Gender and Development [NACGAD]

Programme 4.1 To efficiently provide secretariat services to the National Advisory Committee on Gender and Development

Objective 5 To support and strengthen Langafonua National Council of Women and Women NGOS locally & in the outer islands

Programme 5.1 Strengthen Women NGO Networks

Objective 6 To efficiently administer the Women and Development Centre

Programme 6.1 Efficient Administration of WDC & Provision of Quality Service to Stakeholders

Objective 7 To provide quality service for Government and the Secretariat of the Pacific Community

Programme 7. 1 Efficient Administration of SPC Programmes

Objective 8 To ensure that National Celebration Programmes are efficiently and effectively executed

Programme 8.1 Efficient Administration and Coordination of National Celebration Programme

The structure has been set up and strengthened and it is the vision of the WDC that through it’s programmes and activities, and keeping in line with her objectives and that of the Pacific Platform, the Commonwealth Plans and the Beijing Platform for Action, Tonga will strive towards a “gender equity and harmonious society, and a better future for all”.