Region:Asia Pacific
Current UN Women Plan Period Afghanisthan:2018-2022
World Bank Income Classification:Low Income
The World Bank classifies economies for analytical purposes into four income groups: low, lower-middle, upper-middle, and high income. For this purpose it uses gross national income (GNI) per capita data in U.S. dollars, converted from local currency using the World Bank Atlas method, which is applied to smooth exchange rate fluctuations.
Least Developed Country:Yes
Since 1971, the United Nations has recognized LDCs as a category of States that are deemed highly disadvantaged in their development process, for structural, historical and also geographical reasons. Three criteria are used: per capita income, human assets, and economic vulnerability.
Gender Inequality Index:0.575
GII is a composite metric of gender inequality using three dimensions: reproductive health, empowerment and the labour market. A low GII value indicates low inequality between women and men, and vice-versa.
Gender Development Index:0.723
GDI measures gender inequalities in achievement in three basic dimensions of human development: health, education, and command over economic resources.
Population:209,497,025
Source of population data: United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2022). World Population Prospects: The 2022 Revision
Male:19,976,265 (9.5%)
Female:189,520,760 (90.5%)
outcome XM-DAC-41146-WSM_D_1.2
Women are perceived as equally legitimate and effective political leaders as men (FPI WPEL Outcome 3)
Women are increasingly being perceived as equally legitimate and effective political leaders as men in Samoa. This is evident from the following: 1. During the 2021 national elections, 6 women (10 per cent) were elected into parliament including Samoa’s first ever woman Prime Minister Fiame Naomi Mataafa; 2. It was equally important to see women ministers taking on key portfolios such as Hon. Matamua Seumanu Vasati Sili Pulufana who is the Minister of Justice and Courts Administration and Hon. Mulipola Anarosa Ale Molioo who is the Minister of Finance; 3. Within the Public and Private sectors, women are gaining a stronger foothold and acquiring important leadership skills to influence positive change within their workplaces and communities; and 4. At the community level, women are working alongside youth to successfully convene and engage with their village governance systems to address issues such as gender-based violence, discrimination against women from other areas married into a village, teenage violence, and youth unemployment.
outcome XM-DAC-41146-WSM_D_2.2
Inclusive, effective and representative marketplace groups are created and grow, contributing to gender, social and economic advancement, the elimination of gender-based discrimination and violence and expanded economic opportunities.
The Markets for Change (M4C) project was meant to commence in July 2021. Due to the election crisis, the establishment of a new Government, and approval of the National Budget (which did not occur until late September), implementing partners were unable to engage meaningfully. In Q4, the human resource process commenced hiring M4C staff which is to be completed by Q1 2022. No substantial progress towards the outcome was had in Q3 2021.
outcome XM-DAC-41146-WSM_D_3.1
Women and men in target communities demonstrate support to survivors of violence and practice balanced power in their relationships
Progress was made across Samoa to contribute to this Outcome through strengthening the resources and knowledge of community members on how to dismantle harmful social and gender norms that perpetuate VAWG. Supporting community-led interventions that adopt a human right based and “Do No Harm” approach, UN Women continued its partnership with the National Human Rights Institute (NHRI) to deliver Phase 2 of their EVAWG strategy, which is to design and implement a targeted education programme for communities about the Village Family Safety Committees (VFSC) in Samoan and English, coordinate VFSC training, and promote the work of VFSC in selected communities via media and knowledge products. By the end of 2021, the ‘Village-Based Advocates Against Family Violence Talanoa Toolkit: Facilitating Conversations and Dialogues to Address Family Violence in Samoan Communities’ was developed, field-tested, translated, and designed for launch and roll out on International Women’s Day in March 2022. UN Women provided substantive technical support to NHRI in the revisions process of the toolkit to ensure that best practice standards were utilized and consistency with the normative framework was upheld. The toolkit explicitly outlines the roles and responsibilities of village advocates and demarcates the role of the provision of services for survivors of violence to identify service providers in line with the Samoa Inter-Agency Essential Services Guide (IESG). As such, advocates are informed, through this toolkit, on how to receive a disclosure of violence using survivor-centered principles, how to refer to existing services, and how to support survivors in their decision-making process on when to seek support. In line with a holistic and national coordinated approach to end violence in Samoa driven by the Fa’asamoa, Faith and Human Rights Framework, this toolkit is a prevention tool that provides a guide for any village-based advocate against family violence in Samoa for facilitating conversations and dialogues to address family violence in community and family settings. The overall purpose of the toolkit is to ensure that conversations about addressing family violence are guided by consistent, culturally specific, survivor-centred, appropriate and relevant messaging that will deliver positive outcomes for victims/survivors (including perpetrators) of family violence.
outcome XM-DAC-41146-WSM_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.
Significant progress towards achievement of the outcome. Women and children survivors of violence in Samoa will now have a better response, referral, and coordination of gender-based violence services with the release of the new protocol to guide the referral pathway between survivors and multi-sector service providers, the Inter-Agency Essential Services Guide for Responding to Cases of Gender-Based Violence (IESG) which was launched in January 2021. Evidence shows that gender-based violence and child abuse are serious issues in Samoa and standard operating procedures for responding to cases across agencies and sectors are critical to a successful response for addressing violence against women, as well as ensuring child protection. The IESG is a culmination of two years of work, including national consultations with key stakeholders from relevant sectors and CSOs; and technical drafting, review, design, and translation of the final guidelines. UN Women provided GBV technical assistance in the development of the IESG, as well as in coordinating the different agencies that contributed to the IESG, the drafting and hiring of a Graphic Designer and the procurement of a printing firm, and the coordination of the launch venue and promotional material. Two hundred copies of the IESG were printed in Samoan and English languages and posters of specific referral pathways were shared with all participants.
outcome XM-DAC-41146-WSM_D_6.1
Global normative and policy frameworks for gender equality and women’s empowerment are implemented in Samoa
There is significant progress towards the fulfilment of this outcome. The following policy frameworks are in place in Samoa: National Policy 2021-2031 on Gender Equality and Rights of Women and Girls; Family Safety Elimination of Family Violence; Inclusive Government; Persons with Disability; and Community Economic Development. UN Women provided technical advice and assistance in the drafting and delivery of these policies. The implementation of these policies will commence in 2022.Showing 1 - 5 of 5
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References to Kosovo shall be understood to be in the context of United Nations Security Council resolution 1244 (1999).
References to Kosovo shall be understood to be in the context of United Nations Security Council resolution 1244 (1999).