9 Sep 2012

Gender equality issue in Pacific - Clark

9:18 am on 9 September 2012

The administrator of the United Nations Development Programme, former Prime Minister Helen Clark, says Pacific countries will not fully develop until women's rights and gender equality become top priorities.

Pacific leaders have agreed to support women's political representation, get women more involved in the economy, and end gender-based violence.

Miss Clark says women are less well paid and less likely to be in the formal economy, and carry a larger burden.

She says if a country tries to develop by leaving behind half its population, it will not get very far.