outcome XM-DAC-41146-KIR_D_1.1

By 2027, more people, particularly those at risk of being left behind, benefit from more equitable access to resilient, and gender-responsive, quality basic services, food security/nutrition and social protection systems. [PCF Strategic Priority 2: People]

In 2024, Kiribati achieved significant progress in strengthening gender-responsive service delivery systems through initiatives that reached survivors of gender-based violence across the nation's dispersed islands. Through coordinated efforts involving ten partner organizations, including seven SafeNet committee members and three justice sector institutions, the initiative has substantially improved access to quality basic services. The comprehensive approach engaged four key sectors - justice, faith, sports, and culture - while enhancing institutional capacity across health, police, and education domains, with particular emphasis on extending services to remote island communities including Kiritimati Island. The transformative impact is evidenced through policy reforms that strengthen the framework through which duty bearers protect and promote rights holders' interests. The revision of the Elimination of Sexual and Gender-Based Violence Policy now integrates critical intersections with climate change resilience and women's role in peace and security, demonstrating a comprehensive approach to gender-responsive service delivery. Furthermore, the Gender Equality and Women Development Policy review has reinforced protections for marginalized groups. These policies align with regional frameworks including the Pacific Leaders Gender Equality Declaration and the 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent, addressing the unique challenges of rising sea levels and environmental degradation facing Pacific communities. The systematic transformation of service delivery is demonstrated through the establishment of the Kiribati Police Service's high-level Gender Sub-committee, development of gender-responsive educational curriculum materials, and standardized procedures for GBV response that prioritize survivor-centered approaches. The SafeNet Data Management Protocol has established comprehensive data collection and management systems following WHO and Gender-Based Violence Information Management System standards. Under MWYSSA's leadership, the user-producer dialogue system enables partners to rapidly identify and respond to emerging needs through consistent monthly data submissions and analysis that directly inform service improvements and policy adaptations. Capacity building efforts specifically targeted remote island accessibility. The training of magistrates who serve across three remote islands is expected to transform how violence against women cases are handled at the local level, through improved competencies in survivor-centered approaches and bias-free decision-making. This shift from traditional magistrate practices to survivor-centered judicial responses aims to increase women's confidence in seeking legal redress, knowing they will encounter informed and sensitive handling of their cases within their own communities, rather than facing the burden of traveling to South Tarawa. SafeNet's coordinated multi-agency approach continues to strengthen GBV response systems through standardized operating procedures for health services, improved administrative data collection, and enhanced police training. The Kiribati Women and Children Support Centre's expanded service model aims to increase accessibility of GBV support services in remote communities through local capacity building and safe temporary accommodation options. Furthermore the development of Pacific-wide minimum standards for GBV counselling, contributed to by thirty participants from government ministries and NGOs across fourteen Pacific Island nations, promises to institutionalize quality benchmarks for service provision while maintaining cultural relevance, strengthening the capacity of crisis centres and frontline services to deliver consistent, survivor-centred support. This transformation has been achieved through coordinated effort among partners led by MWYSSA, working with the Kiribati Police Service, Ministry of Health and Medical Services, Kiribati Women and Children's Crisis Centre, Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Crisis Centre, Office of the People's Lawyer, Office of the Attorney General, Kiribati Teachers College, and Kiribati Inclusive Education Improvement Programme. UN Women provided essential technical and financial support throughout these initiatives, particularly in strengthening SafeNet, supporting women-led CSOs and facilitating policy development.

outcome XM-DAC-41146-KIR_D_1.2

By 2027, the operational, normative and collaborative potential of the UNCT Cooperation Frameworks to contribute to greater gender equality is fully optimised by UN Women’s interventions.

This outcome is on track, Throughout 2024, UN Women's strategic interventions in Kiribati have demonstrated, via its coordination mandate, success in optimizing Pacific UNSDCF to advance gender equality. These interventions have reached 140 persons across government, civil society, and community sectors. The comprehensive approach has fostered transformative change at institutional, policy, and grassroots levels, creating sustainable pathways for gender equality and women's empowerment, with particular attention to reaching those furthest behind. UN Women effectively engaged seven UN agencies in systematic gender mainstreaming efforts, and its active engagement in a dedicated four-member UNCT sub-committee has created efficient pathways for gender-responsive engagement with the Government of Kiribati, while quarterly UNCT coordination meetings ensure sustained focus on gender equality initiatives. In addition, there has been dissemination of critical knowledge products, including the Strengthening Peacefull Villages (SPV) Midline Impact Evaluation Report, the Kiribati Gender Equality Brief and the SDGs Gender Snapshot 2024. These resources equipped agencies with context-specific gender analysis and evidence-based strategies for effective violence prevention programming. The evaluation findings have been particularly valuable in helping UN agencies understand unique gender dynamics in Kiribati and design interventions that address intersectional vulnerabilities, especially in remote island communities, while providing concrete evidence on the effectiveness of community-based approaches to transforming social norms around gender-based violence. It has also been helpful in providing UN agencies with a practical model of feminist evaluation methodology in action. The extensive geographical and demographic reach across Kiribati's diverse island communities has seen twenty-eight stakeholders, including representatives from marginalized groups, contribute their expertise to the Te Rau N Te Mwenga Act review, while another twenty-eight representatives participated in the Beijing +30 reporting process. The Women's Practice Parliament engaged 44 women from across all islands, ensuring representation from remote and traditionally underserved communities. The transformative leadership training program achieved particular success, with 36 women completing the training, including participants from outer islands who typically face barriers to accessing such opportunities. Notably, two participants have already declared their candidacy for upcoming elections, demonstrating the program's effectiveness in shifting power dynamics and promoting women's political participation. Institutional transformation has been particularly evident in the justice sector, where UN Women's support has led to significant improvements in rights-based, gender-responsive service delivery. The development of a gender-sensitive vernacular Judiciary Bench Book has enhanced access to justice for women, particularly addressing language barriers faced by rural and remote communities. The Attorney General's Office has implemented gender-responsive recruitment guidelines, while the Kiribati Police Service has established standardized GBV response procedures ensuring proper handling of cases with a survivor-centered approach. This coordinated justice sector approach recognizes women, particularly GBV survivors, as rights holders entitled to dignified and protective services. The health sector has implemented new survivor-centred Standard Operating Procedures, specifically designed to address the needs of marginalized groups including persons with disabilities and those in geographically isolated areas. The education sector has also made substantial strides through the development of gender-responsive curriculum and inclusive teaching methodologies that recognize diverse learning needs. Protection mechanisms have been strengthened through the enhancement of the Elimination of Sexual and Gender-Based Violence Policy, which now incorporates critical considerations of climate change resilience and its disproportionate impact on vulnerable populations. The revised Gender Equality and Women Development Policy further reinforces these protections by clearly defining the responsibilities of duty bearers while strengthening protections for rights holders. The establishment of a high-level gender sub-committee in the Kiribati Police Service demonstrates institutional commitment to gender equality and rights-based service delivery. The initiative's success in gender mainstreaming is reflected in the systematic integration of gender analysis in policy development, comprehensive capacity building across sectors, and the creation of sustainable mechanisms for gender-responsive service delivery. The comprehensive consultation process with women's organizations, survivors, and service providers ensures procedures reflect diverse needs and experiences while transforming institutional responses to protect women's rights and safety. Through these coordinated efforts, UN Women in Kiribati has successfully demonstrated how strategic interventions can optimize the operational, normative, and collaborative potential of the Pacific UNSDCF to advance gender equality. The initiative's comprehensive approach, combining institutional strengthening, policy development, and grassroots engagement, has created sustainable pathways for continued progress toward gender equality in Kiribati, ensuring no one is left behind.

outcome XM-DAC-41146-KIR_O_1

Advancing business transformation

The Pacific Partnership to End VAWG programme in Kiribati demonstrated strategic business transformation through systematic strengthening of national response mechanisms and service delivery infrastructure, fundamentally changing how gender-based violence services are delivered across Kiribati's dispersed geography through standardized protocols and institutionalized coordination mechanisms. Ten partner organizations, including government ministries and civil society organizations, demonstrated enhanced operational capabilities through standardized protocols and coordination systems. The SafeNet network emerged as a cornerstone, integrating service providers across sectors and establishing clear pathways for coordination and data sharing. This transformation extended to the justice sector, where specialized training for fifteen magistrates from remote islands created sustainable local capacity for gender-responsive judicial services. Twenty-five justice sector representatives collaboratively developed frameworks for strengthened GBV response, establishing standardized protocols that transformed case management across the justice system, while the certification of four counselors under new national standards created Kiribati's first pool of formally accredited GBV specialists who now train and mentor others. Building on this momentum, the new Health Sector Standard Operating Procedures established clear protocols for GBV-health frontliners, further strengthening the multi-sectoral response. The program revolutionized service delivery through systematic integration of justice, health, police, and social services under standardized data collection and management protocols. This included the GBV Administrative Data systems, which institutionalized WHO and Gender-Based Violence Information Management System standards. The October 2024 knowledge exchange at the Sexual Violence Research Initiative Forum in South Africa further catalyzed this institutional transformation, with Kiribati representatives bringing back and implementing innovative service delivery approaches that have been integrated into standard operating procedures across crisis centres, health facilities, and justice services. Drawing on these international insights, the program developed culturally grounded service delivery models that successfully adapted international standards to Pacific contexts while expanding geographic accessibility through systematic outreach to remote islands and institutionalization of inclusive service delivery mechanisms. Recognizing the interconnected nature of gender-based violence and environmental challenges, the comprehensive revision of the Elimination of Sexual and Gender-Based Violence Policy reshaped frameworks by integrating climate resilience considerations with gender equality initiatives. This adaptive policy approach specifically addresses Kiribati's existential climate crisis, responding to the interconnected challenges of rising sea levels, environmental degradation, and their gendered impacts on communities. The sustainability of these transformations relied on robust coordination among executing partners, with the Ministry of Women, Youth, Sports and Social Affairs establishing clear frameworks for collaboration with the Kiribati Police Service, Ministry of Health and Medical Services, crisis centers, and other key institutions. Technical support from UN Women, complemented by assistance from development partners, ensured alignment with international standards while institutionalizing locally appropriate responses.