In the lead-up to the Beijing Conference, the Pacific Islands region adopted the Pacific Platform for Action (PPA). Its purpose was to identify regional issues and priorities within those Critical Areas and to put them into a local context. The framework was subsequently reviewed and a Revised Pacific Platform for Action on Advancement of Women and Gender Equality (RPPA) was endorsed in 2004.
The overall goal of the Gender Equality in Political Governance program was to advance gender equality in political governance in the Pacific and its objective was to increase political participation by women as active citizens and leaders. Important strategies employed by the programme include building broad base support for women’s participation in political governance through the development of community-base level education and the introduction of temporary special measures.
The Australian Government is committed to the implementation of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) – agreed targets set by the world’s nations to reduce poverty by 2015. The MDGs include halving extreme poverty, getting all children into school, closing the gap on gender inequality, saving lives lost to disease and lack of health care, protecting the environment and working on a global partnership for development. Gender equality is central to achieving these goals.
Health pandemics have specific and severe impacts on the lives of women and girls. Since the COVID-19 outbreak first had reported cases, the gendered impacts began being documented in the Pacific and across the world. Women and girls are disproportionately impacted by crises. Existing gender inequalities are exacerbated during a crisis, with the result that women and girls face even higher rates of violence, sexual abuse and control from their husbands, partners and families.
This review involved a desk review of policies and project documents and consultations with Pacific Region Infrastructure Facility (PRIF) agency representatives and staff from other agencies working in the Pacific. It:
- Collates information about how gender concerns are considered and managed in PRIF Infrastructure programs.
- Identifies areas of good practice.
- Identifies lessons to enhance gender-responsive planning and management in Pacific infrastructure projects.
This study deals with research on eight critical areas of concern covered in the Revised Pacific Platform for Action 2005-2015: education, health, climate change and environment, economic empowerment, gender mainstreaming, leadership and decision-making, violence against women and human rights.
While gender research on each issue exists in one way or another in the Pacific, there are many unknowns as to the scope, nature, and quality of this research. This study therefore:
- Maps and provides a gap analysis of existing gender research in the eight thematic areas.
There is growing evidence that at both national and sub-national level, the social capital of urban elites (male and female alike) does not translate into votes at the ballot box. Instead, women who perform well at the polls:
- Are “of the people”, i.e. either community based or have deep connections to their electorates;
- Have strong male backers – powerful fathers, brothers, or husbands or, as the 2012 Papua New Guinea elections demonstrated, male supporters who maintain control over polling booths and coordinate the process of 'assisted voting';
This report considers each of the key areas of discrimination and disadvantage. Key interrelationships between the various challenges are discussed to illustrate the complexity of the issues they face.
There are limited laws, policies and programs in the Pacific for women and girls with disabilities.
Small Grants, Big Results – highlighting the catalytic role of community-based and women’s organisations to women’s empowerment and social change, this Practice Note provides an evidence-base of successful small-granting approaches and strong partnerships, to influence funders to expand small granting programs.
The Pacific Women final report features stories highlighting the voices and key achievements of Pacific women and men across the 14 countries supported by Pacific Women Shaping Pacific Development (Pacific Women). The impacts of initiatives supported by Pacific Women are diverse, spanning across the program’s four outcomes of Leadership and Decision Making; Economic Empowerment; Ending Violence against Women; and Enhancing Agency. The Final Report includes data and impacts achieved over the life of the program, since it began in 2012
The Pacific Women Highlights booklet provides a snapshot view of key achievements of Pacific women and men across the 14 countries supported by Pacific Women. Pacific Women has reached an estimated 1.45 million Pacific women, men and children since 2012, through partnerships with Pacific organisations and gender equality advocates. The Highlights booklet includes data and impacts achieved over the life of the program, since it began in 2012.
Pacific Women program activities support the Bougainville Gender Investment Plan, which prioritises the following objectives:
- Reducing family and sexual violence and assist survivors of violence.
- Strengthen women’s leadership.
- Improve women’s economic opportunities.
This report includes the following highlights:
This report contains highlights for the Pacific Women in Papua New Guinea program, including the conclusion from the mid-term evaluation that the program is on track to achieve its objectives, and that the program uses evidence to inform policy and practice.
Other highlights include:
In rural Papua New Guinea, where over 80 per cent of the population live, nearly 50 per cent of women birth outside of a health centre. One out of 25 women dies of pregnancy related causes and 52 babies out of every 1000 born die before their first birthday. For every woman who dies in childbirth or pregnancy, another 30 will suffer lifelong pain or disability from pregnancy-related complications. These alarmingly high death rates are partly the result of health centres being many hours walk away from remote communities and lacking in basic drugs, supplies and suitably trained staff.
The purpose of the workshop was to share findings from the review of the Pacific Women Fiji Country Plan and the Pacific Women Year Three Evaluation and consider the implications of findings for future Pacific Women programming in Fiji.
The workshop was designed to maximise input from local experts, as well as provide the opportunity for peer sharing. In addition, exercises were developed to ensure partners strengthened or developed new relationships with each other.
The Pacific Community (SPC), in collaboration with the Asian Development Bank and UN Women conducts assessments of national governments’ capacity to conduct gender mainstreaming of programs and policies. The purpose of gender mainstreaming is to promote good governance and sustainable development through the integration of gender analysis at all levels of government.
The Pacific Community (SPC), in collaboration with the Asian Development Bank and UN Women conducts assessments of national governments’ capacity to conduct gender mainstreaming of programs and policies. The purpose of gender mainstreaming is to promote good governance and sustainable development through the integration of gender analysis at all levels of government.
The Pacific Community (SPC), in collaboration with the Asian Development Bank and UN Women conducts assessments of national governments’ capacity to conduct gender mainstreaming of programs and policies. The purpose of gender mainstreaming is to promote good governance and sustainable development through the integration of gender analysis at all levels of government.
The Pacific Community (SPC), in collaboration with the Asian Development Bank and UN Women conducts assessments of national governments’ capacity to conduct gender mainstreaming of programs and policies. The purpose of gender mainstreaming is to promote good governance and sustainable development through the integration of gender analysis at all levels of government.
This publication brings together the perspectives of women involved in the Leitana Nehan Women’s Development Agency of Bougainville, Vois Blong Mere Solomon of Solomon Islands and Ma’a Fafine mo e Famili of Tonga. Women in these groups are active in peace building and service in many spheres of their communities, connected through FemLINKPACIFIC’s Pacific Women’s Media and Policy Network on UN Security Council Resolution 1325 (Women, Peace and Security).