In an historic first for the region, nineteen of the twenty-three members of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) held the first Technical Cooperation Session in Fiji, on 7 – 11 April 2025. Fourteen countries in the region have ratified CEDAW, with Tonga, Niue, and Palau yet to do so.
The three countries that were examined by the CEDAW Committee were Fiji, Solomon Islands and Tuvalu. The meeting also held open Talanoa – or thematic discussions – that brought together civil society, youth, government representatives and community leaders. These included Talanoa on gender through the lens of culture and religion, children and youth, gender stereotypes, women’s political participation, women with disabilities, gender-based violence, and climate change. Representatives from fifteen countries, including the Cook Islands, attended the meeting which provided an important platform for Pacific countries to reflect on progress, challenges, and priorities in eliminating discrimination against women and girls in the region.
In the country examinations, the CEDAW Committee commented on Fiji’s efforts to increase social protection and combat violence against women and girls through a holistic national action plan. They also expressed concern about the deeply entrenched gender stereotypes and the persistent exclusion of women from customary leadership and political decision-making structures in Fiji. Issues highlighted included addressing women’s underrepresentation in political and public life by adopting temporary special measures to achieve gender parity in governance or party structures.
After the Fiji government had been examined, the NGOs provided their perspectives. The Fiji Human Rights and Anti-Discrimination Commission called on the government to improve national systems that address gender inequality and violence against women and girls. Challenges include increasing cases of gender-based violence, limited access to opportunities for women and cultural and systemic discrimination that continue to hold back progress.
In the exchange with the Solomon Islands, the Committee commented on recent advances in legislative and policy reform to promote gender equality. However, it also acknowledged the need for meaningful reparations for the gender-based violence and discrimination experienced by women during the ethnic tensions (1998–2003), despite women’s essential contributions to peacebuilding. The Committee called for further steps to decriminalise abortion as part of a broader commitment to ensuring women’s sexual and reproductive health and rights.
When examining Tuvalu, the Committee highlighted the intersection of gender and climate justice in the country, and the cultural and gender stereotypes that have led to a lack of participation of women in political decision-making bodies. It also emphasised the need to increase protection of women and girls from gender-based violence and discrimination while noting women’s leadership in advocating for Tuvalu’s right to self-determination, including through the “Future Now Project” – a pioneering initiative to establish a digital twin which can be used to model different response scenarios to rising sea levels. Tuvalu's Prime Minister Feleti Teo said discriminatory laws and cultural norms continue to be obstacles to full gender equality in his island nation, yet the island nation's geography means the government's capacity to enforce laws and policies is constrained.
The Committee will provide recommendations to Fiji, Solomon Islands and Tuvalu in the concluding observations that it will adopt at its 91st session scheduled to be held in Geneva from 16 June to 4 July 2025.
By
Beryl Anderson ONZM
and Suzanne Manning
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