Women are the backbone of our indigenous societies - SODELPA

SODELPA Leader Viliame Gavoka has commended indigenous women in our society and around the world as they are the backbone of indigenous peoples’ communities and play a crucial role in the preservation and transmission of traditional ancestral knowledge.

In a statement to commemorate tomorrow’s International Day for Indigenous Peoples, Gavoka says SODELPA salutes and recognizes indigenous women who are nurturers of families and custodians of scientific knowledge and natural resources.

He adds that indigenous women leaders are also at the forefront in Fiji and the region in the defence of lands and territories and advocating for indigenous peoples’ collective rights.

Gavoka says that SODELPA has always been the only leading genuine representative of the nation’s indigenous iTaukei people and fellow indigenous peoples of the Pacific who call Fiji home, whose cause and aspirations we have championed over the years since 2001.

He says it is appalling that the FijiFirst Government does not intend to ratify or adopt the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of the Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP).

The theme of the 2022 International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples is: “The Role of Indigenous Women in the Preservation and Transmission of Traditional Knowledge”.