UNDP was instrumental in advancing women’s political participation in the Pacific in 2018. Following a UNDP practice Parliament for women in Nauru, one of the participants was subsequently elected in a by-election raising the number of women MPs in Nauru from 5.5% to 11%.

In Tonga, prior to the snap election, a UNDP event in partnership with the Department of Women’s Affairs provided training for 18 women which subsequently saw a record percentage of women candidates stand for election and the number of women MPs then increase from 5% to 11% of those elected through popular vote. 99 women in Cook Islands and PNG benefitted from practice parliaments for women and 19 current male MPs from 9 countries attended a ground-breaking UNDP event for 19 male advocates from 11 Pacific Pacific Island Countries for women’s political participation that was held in December 2017.

In addition, UNDP developed a manual for the Fiji Parliament on scrutinizing legislation from a gender perspective that received global recognition and has now been utilized by UNDP Ukraine and by the Inter-Parliamentary Union at training sessions in Africa.

Fiji Parliament Committee Chairs and committee staff received training on the manual.

Parliaments in the Pacific have the lowest percentage of elected women in the world, and are therefore heavily male dominated work environments. However, although the vast majority of elected members are male, the senior secretariat positions in a number of Pacific Parliaments are filled by women.

In September 2017, UNDP convened the first ever south south Pacific Clerks and Deputy Clerks meeting which brought together senior women staff from 7 Pacific Parliaments.

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