100926 ABG Vice President Briefs Women Leaders on Bougainville’s Position on Independence

The ABG Vice President and Minister for Bougainville Independence Mission Implementation, Hon. Ezekiel Massat, and Secretary for the Department of Bougainville Independence Mission Implementation, Stephanie Elijah, briefed Bougainville women leaders on the progress of joint consultations and Bougainville’s position on independence.

The briefing took place at the Nazareth Centre for Rehabilitation at Chabai during a one-day workshop organized by the Bougainville Women’s Federation and Conciliation Resources in collaboration with ABG Department Independence Mission Implementation on Tuesday, 8 September 2026.

The workshop aimed to support community government women leaders especially chairladies and other female leaders in staying informed on key consultation progress and Bougainville’s position on the independence agenda.

The Vice President updated the women leaders on the Joint Supervisory Body (JSB) resolution, the Melanesian Framework (MF), and the Joint Consultation Report (JCR). He also outlined and explained the three strategies for achieving independence: the 2001 Bougainville Peace Agreement, the Bougainville Constituent Assembly and Bougainville Constitution, and international Lobbying. Furthermore, he detailed Bougainville’s final target of achieving self-government in 2027 and independence by 2030.

These presentations and discussions enabled the women leaders to gain a better understanding of key developments, agreements, and resolutions, as well as the challenges and opportunities for shaping the next phase of the peace process. This strengthens their ability to contribute to informed and inclusive peace leadership at the community level.

The workshop concluded with Secretary Elijah leading the women leaders in producing resolutions to strengthen Bougainville’s readiness for self-government in 2027 and independence in 2030.

Additionally, the workshop created an avenue for the Chairladies to dialogue with staff from the Office of the Bougainville Electoral Commissioner (OBEC), who were present alongside representatives from the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES). The discussions focused on how to empower and encourage more women to contest elections particularly the upcoming community government elections.

BWF President Barbara Tanne acknowledged the women leaders for their leadership role in the peace process and post referendum era. She called on the women leaders to continue their work at community level to achieve the core benchmarks for ward level readiness.