Source: Ministry of Women, Children and Social Protection - Fiji / Facebook

Over 30 women leaders, youth advocates, parliamentarians and gender equality champions from across the Pacific have gathered in Nadi for the Women’s Leadership Regional Intergenerational Dialogue: Waves of Change – Pacific Women in Politics across Generations.

The two-day dialogue, convened by UN Women Fiji Multi-Country Office under the WYDE initiative, focuses on strengthening women’s political participation and leadership across the region.

Permanent Secretary for Women, Children and Social Protection, Eseta Nadakuitavuki, opened the event, highlighting that while Fiji surpassed the SDG 5.5 target in 2018 with women holding 20 percent of parliamentary seats, representation dropped to just 10.9 percent in the 2022 election.

She stressed that barriers such as gender-based violence, unpaid work, economic exclusion and unequal access to communication must also be addressed.

UN Women Fiji MCO Representative Alison Davidian said the Pacific was the only region to develop its own gender equality framework ahead of the 1995 Beijing global conference, yet today women hold just 8% of parliamentary seats.

“The Pacific is not short of women leaders. What is missing are the systems, political will and accountability to ensure women’s leadership is recognised, respected and represented.”

The dialogue includes mentoring sessions linking young leaders with seasoned politicians, youth-led conversations to shift gender norms, and discussions on legal reforms, coalition building and storytelling as tools to promote change.

EU First Counsellor Carine Hanssens said despite global progress, women remain underrepresented, with only 27% of parliamentarians worldwide being women.

She highlighted the EU’s €11.5 million investment through the Women and Youth in Democracy Initiative to advance women’s participation in decision-making.

Participants will take forward key recommendations to strengthen advocacy, mentorship and collaboration, feeding into ongoing work under Beijing+30 and global platforms on gender equality.

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