Some countries, such as Afghanistan (27.7 per cent), the Lao Peoples Democratic Republic (25.0 per cent), Australia (24.7 per cent), Viet Nam (24.4 per cent) and Kazakhstan (24.3 per cent), arc approaching the target. This is partly a result of quotas and reserved seats for women in parliament. Women’s representation in the Pacific lags significantly behind both other Asian and Pacific subregions and the world average.