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Pacific Women Lead at SPC programme

One of the largest global commitments to gender equality, Pacific Women Lead aims to improve women’s leadership, realise women’s rights, and increase the effectiveness of regional gender equality efforts.

The Pacific Women Lead (PWL) at the Pacific Community (SPC) programme, termed PWL at SPC, has more than AUD 55 million dedicated to its work under the Australian Government’s AUD 170 million Pacific Women Lead portfolio. This partnership with the Australian Government commits SPC to deliver the PWL programme, as the cornerstone for the portfolio. Read more

Adolescent Girls in Fiji and Tonga Share their Visions for the Programme

The Pacific Girl mid-term review team visited Fiji and Tonga for consultations with adolescent girls and other partners. In Tonga, they were joined by SPC's Pacific Way production crew.

The Pacific Girl mid-term review is ongoing, with the review team visiting Fiji and Tonga to meet with partners and stakeholders. The Vanuatu mission had to be deferred due to the impacts of the recent tropical cyclones.

The team was accompanied in Tonga by the Pacific Way team, who captured the girls' stories of change. The review will include inputs from partners in Fiji, Federated States of Micronesia - Chuuk, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, and Tonga. 

Through the Pacific Girl programme, a child protection and safeguarding briefing was also provided to interested HRSD staff and the Pacific Way team, with discussions underway to extend this to other SPC communications staff.  

Starting with Fiji the Pacific Girl mid-term review team conducted a programme review workshop with the Fiji Women’s Rights Movement (FWRM) GIRLS Arise Initiative focusing on unpacking different perspectives of change and challenges to inform the future of the programme.

The recent mid-term review trip to Tonga in March consisted of in-country workshops, key informant interviews and stakeholders' consultations with the Talitha Project. Read More.

PWL at SPC Grants Update

A first round of PWL at SPC Grants applicants have progressed through the expression of interest stage, making their way to the next state of the multi-stage application process outlined in the Grants Guidelines for Applicants.

SPC's Human Rights and Social Development (HRSD) Division adopts several strategic approaches through the PWL at SPC programme, of which just one is providing grants. This is similar to the former Pacific Women programme's support unit that funded 14 grants and six advisors.

Last year, the PWL at SPC team reached out across SPC's 22 PICT members, inviting expressions of interest for grants to civil society organisations including women’s groups; social enterprises; academic or research institutions; Statutory and State institutions; and national and regional coalitions for their gender equality initiatives. Successful applicants are scheduled to be announced mid-2023.

For Pacific Island governments, technical assistance and funding is also available. This support will be determined in collaboration with member governments, with discussions already advancing with more than 10 countries. Read more

Programme Learning and Convening

Practitioners Deep-dive on Economic Empowerment Tools

Participants attending the December 2022 Women's Economic Empowerment (WEE) Roundtable convening held at SPC and online via Zoom.

Two tools - the new Gender Organic Value Chain Assessment Toolkit and the Family Farm Model - were a focus at the second SPC convening of the Women's Economic Empowerment Roundtable.

WEE Roundtable members discussed the findings from two presentations, from SPC’s Land Resources Division Pacific Organic and Ethical Trade Community (POETCom) Gender Organic Value Chain Assessment toolkit which was presented by Flavia Ciribelo,Gender and Value Chain Adviser for POETCom; and the Family Farm Model, presented by Pacific Horticultural and Agricultural Market Access Plus Program (PHAMA) Program Manager – GEDSI, based in Apia, Samoa, Kassandra Betham.

Advancing Gender Equality in the Pacific Through Our Work

A series of stories about the work of SPC staff, highlights SPC’s technical expertise contributing to gender equality across various fields. In the stories, staff explain how their work is resulting in improved policy environments for gender equality and contributing to a change towards ending violence against women and girls.

PWL at SPC highlighted the work of our Gender Based Violence Adviser, Wilma Eileen and Database Officer, Arti Devi. PWL at SPC is based within SPC’s Human Rights and Social Development (HRSD) division, working alongside HRSD Adviser Kim Robertson and SPC’s Statistics for Development Division (SDD) Gender and Human Rights Statistics Adviser Akhona Nkenkana also featured in the stories.

Thematic Briefs Summarise Key Topics Affecting Women and Girls in the Pacific

A series of Thematic Briefs provides a broad summary of information, analysis and key messages relating to topics which affect women and girls in the Pacific. The series has been released by PWL at SPC, building on the work of the former Pacific Women programme.

The series of Thematic Briefs include:

Ending Violence Against Women in the Pacific.
Women's Economic Empowerment in the Pacific.
Myths about Gender Equality in the Pacific.
Inclusion of Pacific Women with Disabilities.

New PWL at SPC Colleagues Working Together to Empower Women

From left: PWL at SPC's Programme Officer Uate Tamanikaiyaroi, Programme Officer Ofusina Toamua and Research Intern Phoebe Nadenbousch.

New colleagues have joined the diverse PWL at SPC team to continue our momentum in progressing gender equality in the Pacific:

Programme Officer, Uate Tamanikaiyaroi's passion for gender equality was nurtured at a young age through his mother's dedication to provide education for him and his siblings.
Programme Officer, Ofusina Toamua has been inspired by the socio-cultural values of life, protection and care which prevail in most Pacific countries to dedicate her life to the empowerment of women and girls.
Research Intern, Phoebe Nadenbousch brings cross-cultural learning to the work of gender equality at SPC.

What is the Pacific Women Lead Portfolio?

PWL at SPC has released its new brochure, detailing how SPC is one of four main delivery partners for the Pacific Women Lead portfolio, alongside PWL Enabling Services (PWLES), Australian Government and the AIR Partnership. Read more.

The new brochure was shared with all PWL partners and other stakeholders at a recent analysis and reflection workshop, for the PWL Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Framework.

The Framework outlines how progress towards outcomes and results will be tracked and regularly assessed across the PWL portfolio.

Pacific Women Lead Enabling Services (PWLES) released a video explaining the PWL Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Framework (MELF), featuring PWLES MELF staff Junita Ngai and Emily Miller.

Partnerships for Gender Equality

SPC's Principal Strategic Lead - Pacific Women & Girls Mereseini Rakuita

In her role as SPC’s Principal Strategic Lead – Pacific Women and Girls, Mereseini Rakuita continues to amplify the voices of women and girls across key regional and global platforms. This includes:

T echnical advisory support to the Micronesian Islands Forum Gender Equality Committee. The Micronesian Leaders endorsed a regional framework on gender equality for FSM. Read More on Facebook.
Hosting Australia’s New Gender Equality Ambassador Stephanie Copus-Campbell at SPC's headquarters in Noumea. While in Noumea, she also conducted an interview with Caitie Devereux, Consul, Australian Consulate-General New Caledonia and took part in an International Women’s Day Panel hosted by Australia’s Embassy in Noumea.
The key note address at the Pacific Search and Rescue Workshop #PacSAR and the Pacific Women In Maritime Conference. Read More.
Supporting preparations for the 2024 Triennial Conference of Pacific Women in meeting with representatives of the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI) Government, civil society organisations, judiciary and diplomatic missions with HRSD's Team Leader for Governance & Institutional Strengthening Neomai Maravuakula, PWL at SPC Programme Officer Fane Toma and HRSD's RMI Country Focal Officer Kathryn Relang. Read More on Facebook

Celebrating International Women's Day

SPC's Senior Leadership Team (SLT) led a panel discussion for International Women's Day about the importance of integrating gender equality across all its programming.

On International Women's Day, we celebrate the achievements of women, and take time to reflect on progress made and to re-double our efforts to address the gender inequality challenges ahead.

PWL at SPC supported eight member Pacific Island countries and territories (PICTs) to lead their IWD national campaigns.

The One-SPC Event for International Women’s Day shared Pacific-specific examples of gender equality programming across the region being implemented through SPC, and supported by donors and partners who make gender transformative work possible.
Read more

Small Islands, Smart Tech Showcased at International Gender Equality Meeting

Pacific Delegates during the 67th session on the Commission on the Status of Women (#CSW67) side event titled ’Small Islands, Smart tech: Empowering women and girls in the digital age’.

Pacific Women Lead at SPC provided technical support and funding for Government delegations attending the 67th Commission on the Status of Women (CSW67), which focused on technology, innovation and gender equality. Negotiations were tough at the annual gathering of all United Nations member states at UN Headquarters in New York City, but Pacific states worked together to ensure strong recognition of the role of technology in addressing the gendered impacts of climate change.

Manager Programmes PWL, Tara Chetty, also attended CSW67 to provide support to Pacific governments during negotiations as a member of the Gender Technical Working Group.

The Working Group also supported the Tuvalu Government to convene a side event titled 'Small Islands, Smart tech: Empowering women and girls in the digital age'.

Tuvalu’s Minister for Health, Social Welfare and Gender Hon Isaia Taape set the scene for the Tuvalu-led event by sharing a personal reflection and overview of the Te Ataeao (Future Now) Project’s tools and platforms for a digital nation. Other speakers at the side event, including young women and civil society representatives, shared insights on how ICT’s are driving gender equality despite the challenges. Read More.

The Pacific Community provided technical support to Pacific representatives to CSW67, in collaboration with the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat (PIFS) and UN Women, and civil society members of the Gender Technical Working Group. SPC’s support included funding and logistical support for delegates from eight Pacific Island countries, including two youth delegates from Fiji and Federated States of Micronesia.

7th Pacific Regional Conference on Disabilities Identified Ways for Ongoing Collaboration

From left: PWL at SPC's Database Officer Arti Devi and Programmes Coordinator Sala Tupou participated in the 7th Pacific Regional Conference on Disabilities.

The 7th Pacific Regional Conference on Disabilities gathered over 200 participants to discuss how to work collaboratively towards ensuring that persons with disabilities in the Pacific maximise their potential to live full and meaningful lives. Read More.

The conference was co-hosted by the Pacific Disability Forum (PDF) and the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat (PIFS), in partnership with the Pacific Community (SPC).

PWL at SPC’s Database Officer, Arti Devi participated in a panel addressing quantitative and qualitative data gaps to inform disability inclusion and meaningful participation of women and girls with disabilities in gender equality, disability and social inclusion policies and programmes. Also at the event, PWL at SPC's Programmes Coordinator, Sala Tupou moderated a session on Employment and Livelihoods.

SPC provided technical support to the conference to collectively advance the progression of human rights and social inclusion. Through Pacific Women Lead at SPC within Human Rights and Social Development Division funding, women, youth and older persons with disabilities also attended the conference. The specific needs of these groups have been identified for ongoing collaboration with the PDF.

Pacific Women Lead Governance Board Convenes Second Meeting

Clockwise from top left: PWL Governance Board Member 'Ana Malia Falemaka; Board Chair Audrey Aumua; PWL Governance Board Members joining the meeting both online and in-person with HRSD Director Miles Young and PWL at SPC Manager Programmes Tara Chetty; SPC's Principal Strategic Lead - Pacific Women and Girls Mereseini Rakuita.

The second PWL Governance Board was held at the end of March 2023, with PWL at SPC fulfilling its role as Secretariat by coordinating the hybrid event.

The 13-member board drives the strategy and high-level decision making for the PWL portfolio, which has four delivery partners including SPC as key implementer. Read More on Facebook.

PWL Governance Board Members Rhema Misser and 'Ana Malia Falemaka met with Human Rights and Social Development (HRSD) Division Director, Miles Young (centre) during his visit to Tonga recently. Read More on Facebook.

Upcoming Events:

Pacific Feminist Forum: 8-10 May
5th Pacific Regional Energy and Transport Ministers Meeting: 8-12 May
SPC POETCom Building Capacity for a Fair and Inclusive Organic Movement Initiative: 5-9 June

Pacific Women Lead (PWL) is at the centre of SPC's regional work for gender equality, serving as secretariat to the PWL Governance Board and providing technical, convening and funding support to government ministries, civil society and other partners.

Australia has committed AUD 170 million to the five-year Pacific Women Lead portfolio. Among the four delivery partners, SPC is the key implementing partner. Other central partners include the AIR (Amplify – Invest – Reach) partnership of women’s funds, civil society organisations and coalitions. There is also PWL Enabling Services (PWLES) delivering monitoring, evaluation and other services, along with the Australian Government’s direct relationships with development partners for regional programmes, such as the United Nations (UN) and International Planned Parenthood Foundation (IPPF).

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The Pacific Women Lead at SPC programme is supported by the Australian Government. This PWL at SPC publication has been supported by the Australian Government; the views expressed in this publication are the author’s alone and are not necessarily the views of the Australian Government.

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