UN Women Transparency Portal

Region:Asia Pacific Current UN Women Plan Period Afghanisthan:2018-2022

World Bank Income Classification:Low Income

Least Developed Country:Yes

Gender Inequality Index:0.575

Gender Development Index:0.723

Population:209,497,025 Male:19,976,265 (9.5%) Female:189,520,760 (90.5%)

Disclaimer

outcome XM-DAC-41146-FIJ_D_3.2

Women and Girls, especially from particular groups (with disabilities, rural, sexual and gender minorities) from target countries, who experience violence have access to quality essential services (health, social service, police and justice) to recover from violence

In 2021, women and girls, especially those from marginalized groups who experience violence, have improved access to quality essential services to support their recovery from violence. The Fiji National Service Delivery Protocol (SDP) for Responding to Cases of Gender-Based Violence was operationalised and rolled out in the Northern Division, which included the development of localised referral pathways. Women's Interest Officers from the Ministry of Women, Children and Poverty Alleviation (MWCPA) have strengthened capacity in the areas of survivor-centered approaches as well as strengthened coordination skills, ultimately enhancing the coordination of the divisional SDP implementation. The SDP rollout to the Northern Division was prompted in response to the Category 5 Tropical Cyclone Yasa. Part of the response included the delivery of lifesaving essential services to women and girls to recover from GBV. This service was delivered both in normal times and times of crisis. During TC Yasa, a Divisional GBV coordination structure was established that leveraged the emergency as the moment to bring SDP stakeholders and emergency actors together including the police, health and social services, counselling providers, the Commissioner Northern’s Office, provincial authorities, and the disaster management authorities.

outcome XM-DAC-41146-FIJ_D_3.3

Legislative and policy frameworks, based on evidence and in line with international human rights standards, on all forms of VAWG and harmful practices are in place and translated into plans

The second meeting of the regional working group was held in August 2021, where representatives of the Government of Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu convened to reflect common issues of concern and the status of implementation of domestic violence legislation in the Pacific region. This regional platform was an opportunity for governments to reiterate their commitment to addressing domestic violence issues and rotation of leadership from Fiji and Samoa to Samoa and Nauru as chair and vice-chair. The outcome document acknowledges the importance and the need for continuous collaboration between countries to address common issues of concern, such as the COVID-19 pandemic and the constant natural disasters that have stalled efforts to prevent domestic violence. The report also acknowledges that partners have played a key role in supporting governments and ensuring that essential services are available to survivors of violence. Advocacy efforts to increase resources available in countries to address VAWG issues continue to be made. Draft cost packages were developed to inform governments on the costs of interventions that can be implemented to address VAWG. These evidence-based tools were a result of a study on the cost of domestic violence/IPV done and capacity-building initiatives implemented in these three countries, namely RMI, Fiji, and the Solomon Islands.

outcome XM-DAC-41146-FIJ_D_4.1

Humanitarian planning, response frameworks and programming are gender and protection inclusive and responsive (modified FPI LEAP Outcome 1)

The Fiji MCO has made a significant contribution to this outcome both at the regional level through leading the Pacific Humanitarian Protection Cluster (PHPC), and at the national level by supporting a range of protection structures in Fiji, Samoa, Vanuatu, Tonga, and Palau. With the continuous engagement, support, and collaboration with key stakeholders including women's ministries, CSOs/NGOs in the cluster, and other cluster lead agencies, the integration of gender and protection has gained more attention and focus on the overall humanitarian response systems in the region. This was evident during multiple emergencies, including Tropical Cyclone Yasa (Dec 2020), Tropical Cyclone Ana (early Jan 2021), and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. As a chair of the PHPC, UN Women played an important role in coordinating protection in humanitarian preparedness, response, and recovery across UN agencies where issues on gender-based violence in emergencies, psychosocial support, gender, and social inclusion were brought to the fore and/or mainstreamed. In 2021, through the UN Women Gender in Humanitarian Action (GiHA) training support in Tonga, participants’ knowledge about the specific needs, capacities, and priorities of women, girls, men, and boys in emergencies has improved. MCO contributed to mainstreaming gender and protection in a range of regional guidance documents through the Mental Health and Psychosocial Support Cell (MHPSS) of the Joint Incident Management Team (JIMT). UNICEF’s key messaging was supported by UN Women through their programming to ensure that women, adolescent girls, young people, and children are at the centre of humanitarian action. The messages and actions were to ensure the protection, safety, and dignity of women. Gender and protection in these guiding documents have been strengthened as a result of UN Women’s technical support. Furthermore, collaboration with UNICEF has resulted in messaging regarding child protection and Gender-based Violence in all WASH kits. UN Women has also supported UNFPA and UNICEF to develop a vulnerability mapping concept note aimed at supporting the incorporation of gender and protection into humanitarian response both in Fiji and the region. With the technical, coordination, and information management support provided to the Fiji Safety and Protection Cluster, the Inclusive Rapid Protection Form is now finalised in line with global best practices (GPC standards). The Rapid Protection Form ensured that the needs of all vulnerable groups are captured during an emergency period, ‘leaving no one behind’. The Ministry of Women was supported in their role as the head of the Fiji Safety and Protection Cluster (Fiji S&P Cluster) through the UN Women’s secretariat position while also enabling cluster members to be supported in their efforts to effectively respond to the current COVID-19 outbreak and cyclone emergency periods in Fiji. The Fiji S&P Cluster is the only disaster response cluster in Fiji t to be decentralised from the national level to the divisional level, enabling better community reach and dissemination.

outcome XM-DAC-41146-FIJ_D_4.2

Women lead preparedness for and response to natural disasters (FPI GIR Outcome 4)

Training events were undertaken to build the capacity of women to lead the preparedness for and response to natural disasters in Solomons Islands, Fiji, and Vanuatu. The following are the results of work undertaken by UN Women through support from the Women, Peace and Humanitarian Fund (WPHF) and under the Gender Inequality of Risk (GIR) Project. · In the Solomon Islands, 25 participants (14 women, 11 men) from rural communities attended the Gender and Humanitarian Action (GiHA) workshop in Auki, in the province of Malaita. These local actors were from provincial gender machinery, women-led CSOs, and service providers. The localization of the training experience was made in recognition of the leadership and decision-making capacities of local women and men from the island of Malaita in humanitarian and disaster response. These local actors have increased their knowledge and skills in gendered humanitarian response. In several instances, the participants have further built the capacity of staff within their organisations. These participants have also mobilised to become voices of advocacy for women's participation in DRR and humanitarian action in Malaita Province at various local level meetings, including at the village level. · Also in the Solomon Islands, UN Women supported the participation of 63 participants (51 women and 12 men) from gender machinery, women-led CSOs, and services providers at the National Gender and Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) Forum in the capital city Honiara in June 2021. These participants included the Isabel Provincial Council of Women, Malaita Provincial Council of Women, Vois Blo Mere, and Solomon Islands National Council of Women. One of the immediate results seen was the ability of these groups to quickly mobilise and organise themselves to respond to the Honiara 2021 riots which saw extensive damage to the capital city centre. · Local level disaster responders in the Provincial Disaster Operations Committees (PDOC) of Makira and Isobel Provinces have increased their capacity to mainstream gender and gender-based violence in emergencies (GBViE) in their preparedness and response work through consistent training by the National Protection Committee (NPC) of the Ministry of Women in the Solomon Islands in 2021. The NPC has also finalized the gender-responsive Standard Operating Procedure (SOPs) for COVID-19 for the two Provincial Disaster Operations Committees (PDOC). · In Fiji, Medical Services Pacific (MSP) was supported to increase the visibility and availability of their work during the COVID-19 outbreak. The results were the continuation of women’s access to family planning services despite the restrictions brought about by the lockdowns. A follow-up training for 18 MSP staff (14 women) from throughout Fiji on GBViE highlighted the realities of the difficulties generated by the COVID-19 lockdowns in households where violence exists. The post-training evaluation carried out showed that knowledge increased consistently across the key training objectives. A deeper understanding of probable difficult home situations has resulted in changes in the way MSP responds to clients during tele-counselling, telehealth consultations, and the provision of essential GBV services. · In Fiji, the women-led FemLINKpacific Women’s Weather Watch (WWW) Project held its annual Regional WWW Learning Exchange. Ten women leaders from Fiji and 20 women leaders from Vanuatu gathered virtually at the event due to border restrictions. In the Fiji district, participants presented their preparedness priorities during a humanitarian crisis according to the seven human security pillars (Economic, Environmental, Food, Health, Political, Personal, and Community) and planned their preparedness needs for the next 5 years, such as women’s inclusiveness and participation at all levels, mobilisation of funds for emergency disasters, and expansion of community media. These priorities have been shared and highlighted in various forums. All 10 women leaders, including FemLINKpacific’s divisional rural convenors and correspondents, wear various hats from being Red Cross volunteers to heading the District Council of Social Services, to being an advisory Councilor or President of a women’s club – and thus are all front-liners in their communities. The learning exchange between Fiji and Vanuatu women leaders resulted in many of them now leading the response to the crisis in their communities and benefit from relief and response efforts. In Vanuatu, the Vanuatu Business Resilience Committee (VBRC) organised a GiHA workshop in December 2021 co-facilitated by the Vanuatu Department of Women and UN Women, and included VBRC staff and National Protection Committee members. The training led to an improved understanding of the gender and protection issues (child protection, gender-based violence, health to sexual reproductive health, and disability) that always emerge during a disaster. Most of the participants are now better informed on the different vulnerabilities of affected populations during and after disasters. Members of VBRC are now developing their business disaster preparedness plans.

outcome XM-DAC-41146-FIJ_D_6.1

Global normative and policy frameworks for gender equality and women’s empowerment are implemented in the Pacific

Progress was made towards this Outcome primarily through the 14th Triennial Conference for Pacific Women and the 7th Meeting of Pacific Ministers for Women. This forum brought together decision-makers within Pacific governments, development partners, research institutions, and civil society to share experiences, and reflect on the progress and challenges to date in implementing the Beijing Platform for Action. In this forum, strategic and practical measures were identified to advance gender equality and women’s empowerment. Due to COVID-19 protocols and travel restrictions, the conference was held virtually for the first time and had over 1000 participants. A specific recommendation dedicated to the ratification of c.190 on sexual harassment in the workplace was successfully negotiated by Women’s Ministers in the Outcome Document as a result of the engagement and high visibility of UN Women and key partners, ILO, and the Fiji Women’s Rights Movement. In the lead-up to the Triennial, UN Women provided technical assistance as a member of the SPC-led Triennial Conference Steering Committee, particularly on the development of the conference agenda, organization of speakers, and determination of side and parallel events at the Conference. The Fiji MCO organized four side events; highlighting solutions to ending violence against women and girls, advancing women’s economic empowerment through Market Vendor Associations, best practices and lessons learned about inclusive and sustainable value chains within the agriculture and fisheries sectors across the Pacific, and on the ratification of ILO c.190 on sexual harassment in the workplace. Further, the Fiji MCO provided financial support to enable national-level consultations to take place, resulting in greater engagement of Pacific governments and civil society in the virtual event. The outcomes from the Triennial Conference were referenced in preparations for CSW 66 and in the development of the next UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework, for which development began in 2021. The Fiji MCO has coordinated with the Gender Technical Working Group (UN Women, UNFPA, Pacific Community [SPC], Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat [PIFS], and civil society) to ensure that Pacific governments are prepared to engage substantively in the CSW and that work around CSW, the Triennial Conference and other regional and global mechanisms for gender equality and women’s empowerment are aligned.

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The boundaries and names shown and the designations used on this map do not imply official endorsement or acceptance by the United Nations.
References to Kosovo shall be understood to be in the context of United Nations Security Council resolution 1244 (1999).

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