Early gains for gender and climate change text at COP27
After a week of technical negotiations on the draft climate and gender text, the Pacific lead on gender and climate change, Eunice Dus is quietly optimistic of the gains made here in Sharm El Sheikh to push for language
Captains ready for Rugby World Cup in New Zealand
Captains of all 12 nations competing at Rugby World Cup 2021 gathered at the world-famous Eden Park in Auckland on Sunday as anticipation reaches fever pitch ahead of kick-off on October 8. Eden Park has twice hosted
Watch Women Win: in NZ and the Pacific
The role of women in leadership is slowly becoming accepted in our society, but the pace of this acceptance leaves much to be desired. And both men and women are partly to blame for that. That was the view of ANZ New
Pirate Queens
The Seaka II pioneers When the ‘Seaka Pirates’ all-female deck crew cast off on their first fishing trip on a tuna longline vessel last month, they were fulfilling the ambitions of a program devised by the Pacific
“Ready to Run” Campaign Training for Women Election Candidates
Building Public Confidence in Elections in Fiji Through Civil Society Action Dialogue Fiji Professor Shaista Shameem Vice Chancellor The University of Fiji Increasing the number of women in parliament is only a small
ANZ lead Fiji women’s rugby encourages positivity.
Recently, women’s rugby in Fiji has been somewhat of a revelation. The Pacific Island country astonished the world by winning an Olympic bronze medal in Tokyo last year and then had an unbelievable undefeated run in
Making a point: Rosy Akbar on sexism in parliament
On the eve of the first Pacific Women Leaders meeting, Fiji’s Minister for Women, Children, and Poverty Alleviation, Rosy Akbar has revealed how she deals with sexism in parliament. “I have always spoken out to
Fiji’s women journalists suffer verbal, physical and online harassment
Fiji: Up to two-thirds of Fijian female journalists have experienced some kind of sexual harassment, a survey released this week has revealed. The study, which was conducted by the University of the South Pacific (USP)
World Press Freedom Day: Press freedom under digital seige
Journalists the world over face increasing digital surveillance used to hamper press freedom, promote misinformation or discredit their work. Press freedom, already in decline for 85% of the world’s population, is
Two women tortured over sorcery claims in PNG
PNG: Shocking. The young Papua New Guinea cop was lost for words. On his first raid with his unit, the unfolding scene of disgust hit him hard in his guts and reverberated through his body. “This is shocking,” he
Women MPs should be the norm, not a novelty: Bale
The absence of any women in the Papua New Guinea parliament is a matter of deep national shame, says candidate, Tania
Breaking down barriers for women candidates in Tonga
The Tonga 2021 general election was one of the most eventful in the nation’s history as long dominant political parties were ousted by a new wave of independents. However, despite this political shift, women are
Australia’s investment in gender equity
The newly appointed Australian Ambassador for women and girls, Christine Clarke, has marked her debut press conference with a strong message against gender-based
Political leadership in PNG: women parliamentarians in the 2017 election
The three women parliamentarians who were elected in the 2012 Papua New Guinea (PNG) election failed to win re-election in the 2017 general election. Their electoral defeats only deepen the concern for gender
Listen to the women
The unheard voices at every COP meeting By Netani Rika Across the world, advocates press for the voices of women to be heard at COP26 in Edinburgh, Scotland. For after decades of talks on climate change and despite the
Violence against women in Pacific politics
As with their sisters around the world, many women in the Pacific Islands are victims of violence. While much of this violence occurs within the family, a socio-cultural environment accustomed to violence against women
Female-led businesses suffer more under COVID-19
“From capital to develop and export goods like coffee, to training and support with digital platforms, Pacific businesses – especially female-led business – are in urgent need of tangible support,” says the
Women’s empowerment, COVID amongst career fair themes
The University of the South Pacific (USP) recently invited 30 employers to engage in a two-day exposition at its annual Career and Internship Fair. The event was organized by USP’s Career and Entrepreneurship Center,
Women’s empowerment, COVID amongst career fair themes
The University of the South Pacific (USP) recently invited 30 employers to engage in a two-day exposition at its annual Career and Internship Fair. The event was organized by USP’s Career and Entrepreneurship Center,
On running for elections in Vanuatu as a woman
In the recent Vanuatu national elections, Dr Andrina Thomas stood for the rural electorate of Espiritu Santo. In this article, which was originally published on the DevPolicy blog, she offers some reflections to Elise
Tonga’s double whammy
Whilst the world is dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic, there are countries across the globe that are undergoing a two-fold or double-whammy blow with the impacts of natural disasters also crashing in on their already
Tough battle for Vanuatu women candidates ahead
It’s election campaign time in Vanuatu where women candidates will try their luck once more to outpoll their male counterparts and end the ‘zero women in parliament’ drought with hopes for a place in Parliament.
Violence Against Women in the Pacific
In the United Nations Declaration on the Elimination of Violence Against Women (DEVAW), violence against women is defined as any act of gender based violence that “results in, or is likely to result in, physical,