Papua New Guinea’s Dame Meg Taylor has been an athlete, lawyer, and diplomat as well as the first woman secretary-general of the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF).
Speaking to RNZ Pacific about International Women’s Day, Dame Meg reflected on the progress made and the need for greater participation of women in the public sector in the region.
When asked about work she had done, in relation to addressing the issues that International Women’s Day raises, Dame Meg was self-deprecating.
“Well, I should say that I don’t think I’ve done enough at all,” she said.
Dame Meg praised the work of Dr Fiona Hukula, who works with the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat on gender issues, in particular the revitalised gender equality declaration.
“So on that side, I felt guilty when [Dr] Fiona approached me and said, ‘what did you do about it?’, and I had actually done nothing. And I’m being very honest about that. I’m very ashamed of that.