Take a bow, and a seat

On Tuesday June 2 2015, Josephine Getsi changed the course of history. Elected with a convincing majority, holding 368 votes over her closest competitor, Getsi is the first woman to claim an open constituency seat in the Autonomous Region of Bougainville in Papua New Guinea.

“It is a significant win because it will show women in Bougainville that they can contest the open seats, these seats are meant for everyone” said Helen Hakena (Leitana Nehan Women’s Development Agency)

IWDA’s Funding Leadership and Opportunities for Women program has worked with the Commonwealth Local Government Forum (CLGF) and Bougainville Women’s Federation (BWF) to develop women’s leadership programs and facilitate workshops in Bougainville in the lead up to the 2015 election. Josephine Getsi took part in the latest leadership training conducted by BWF and supported by IWDA.

For a recap of Josephine’s victory read this article