I recently participated in a workshop on special measures for women organized by the Pacific Island Forum Secretariat on 25-26 September in Port Moresby and I would like to share some of thoughts and reflections on women’s political participation in the Pacific region. Today the world regional average of women parliamentarians is 16%. Pacific countries have the lowest average by region of 3.1%. At this workshop, there was a discussion on the reasons why special measures were needed and justified, noting in particular participating countries’ (Fiji, Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea and Vanuatu) international and regional commitments to gender equality. The importance of special measures towards increasing the number of women in parliament was one of the key recommendations of the workshop which agreed on the need to raise awareness on special measures vis-à-vis reserved seats and quotas and relevant electoral reforms aimed at improving the representation of women in parliament. Whilst the workshop participants were able to identify some key considerations relevant to all countries in developing strategies for special measures, there are still challenges ahead of us. Women’s participation in positions of power and decision-making is a complex process that implies the analysis of several factors, among them: national, local electoral systems that guarantee or limit democratic participation, particularly of traditionally-marginalized group, political parties and their mechanism for citizenship representation, women’s forms and levels of organization, and their incidence in the spaces of political agreement, gender relations and culture that hinder or facilitate women’s participation in decision-making positions (at the extra-household [institutional] and intra-household level), and resistance to the recognition of women as peers and stereotypes linked to the gendered cultural construction of the political parties and male members of local organizations, who continue to reinforce the lack of credibility in women’s performance and leadership in the political world and the absence of resources and financial support to women’s campaigns. In Pacific societies, there persists the cultural construction of the public/private dichotomy that makes men and women accept as ‘normal’ women’s presence in the family scope and men’s presence in the public sphere. There is a need for greater awareness on women’s rights and equality at the grassroots level. In fact in opening the workshop, the Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea, Sir Michael Somare emphasized the shared responsibility of men and women, both as members of the legislature and voters in working together to change perceptions and recognize the need for both genders to be represented in parliament and public life. Hence custom could no longer be used as an excuse to justify the exclusion of women from politics. Practical actions and strategies to increase women’s representation and participation in politics will only work through a bottom-up approach. The way forward for Pacific Island countries is to reform de-facto laws and practices that are discriminatory and hinder women’s participation and representation. Dr Priya Chattier UNIFEM Pacific