The valuable contributions of these people are acknowledged, and it would not have been possible to prepare this toolkit without them. This work has identified many appropriate initiatives being undertaken in different localities, as well as evidence about pitfalls to be avoided, and there is now an opportunity to pool this practical experience and promote good practice.

This report is based on an assessment of COVID-19 fiscal stimulus response and policy measures in nine countries in Asia and the Pacific (Cambodia, Fiji, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, Thailand and Viet Nam).

This report is a summary of the technical dialogue between women with HIV/AIDS and about 100 experts and parties, such as donors and community members, about the multiple forms of gender-based violence (GBV) and the denial of human rights that women with HIV/AIDS and other women in Papua New Guinea (PNG) face. These women include those physically challenged or disabled, sex workers, lesbians, and transwomen.

This brief summarizes the key gender equality issues and key commitments in Samoa. Thematic areas covered in the brief include Women’s Human Rights, Women’s Representation and Leadership, Women’s Economic Empowerment, Education, Health/Sexual and Reproductive Health, Ending Violence against Women and Girls, and Gender and Protection in Humanitarian Action.

In December 2020, Sustineo was engaged UN Women under the Women in Leadership in Samoa (WILS) Project to lead the design and implementation of Research on Leadership Pathways of Women in Samoa.

The provision, coordination and governance of essential, multisector health, police, justice, and social services can significantly mitigate the consequences that violence has on the well-being, health and safety of women and girls’ lives, assist in the recovery and empowerment of women, and stop violence from reoccurring.

This publication showcases the results of Rapid Gender Assessment surveys (RGAs) on the impact of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in seven countries in Asia and the Pacific. For some of these countries, this is the second round of RGAs and thus these findings may follow up those of “Unlocking the Lockdown”. The report is meant to be a statistical snapshot that could inform responses to the crisis but is not meant to provide policy recommendations or analyze the policy context in each country.

Women and children survivors of violence in Samoa will now have better response, referral and coordination of gender-based violence services with the release of their 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).

While the fields working to end VAC and VAW have largely developed separately, recent reviews and analyses of large datasets have identified multiple intersections between VAC and VAW including: co-occurrence, shared risk factors, similar underlying social norms, common consequences, intergenerational effects, and the period of adolescence as unique period of heightened vulnerabilities to both types of violence.

The Pacific region has some of the highest rates of violence against women recorded in the world – twice the global average with an estimated two in every three Pacific women impacted by gender-based violence.

UN Women issues this alert to highlight the gender-specific impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic in Papua New Guinea (PNG) on women’s lives. It focuses on why women’s leadership and meaningful participation is a right, and can lead to more sustainable responses to crisis.

Gender equality lies at the core of human rights and is the bedrock from which sustainable development can be achieved. Women and girls represent 50 per cent of the world’s population, yet are often excluded from the political arena, and shut out of decision-making that directly affects their lives. Increasing women’s political participation and leadership are vital mechanisms that support women to realize their human rights. Increasing women’s participation...

16 things you can do to help end violence against women and girls

Time to Act on Gender, Climate Change and Disaster Risk Reduction. An overview of progress in the Pacific region with evidence from The Republic of Marshall Islands, Vanuatu and Samoa. Gender equality and the empowerment of women become ever more important as the frequency and severity of storms, floods, drought and other climatic hazards increase in the Pacific region. Due to prevailing gender inequalities and social norms, women and girls are disproportionately affected by climate change and disaster...

Increasing women’s participation in leadership and decision-making is not only critical for achieving gender equality, it is also essential for general economic and social development. Studies have found that longer exposure to women’s political representation increases women’s overall labour force participation, the share of public employment opportunities allocated to women and women’s increased access to public goods such as roads and health services. The Pacific...

A snapshot of UN Women’s Ending Violence against Women and Girls programme delivered by the Fiji Multi-Country Office. Covering 14 Pacific countries and territories, the programme supports Pacific-led activities to improve the policy environment on ending violence against women and girls as well as to meet the immediate needs, at a community level, of women who are experiencing violence. It supports Pacific organisations in delivering services that meet survivors’ needs, as well as...

A snapshot of UN Women’s Increasing Community Resilience through the Advancement of Women to Address Climate Change and Natural Hazards (IREACH) programme delivered by the Fiji Multi-Country Office. Covering 14 Pacific countries and territories, the programme is designed to ensure that Pacific women become full, equal partners in, and beneficiaries of, all disaster risk reduction (DRR), climate change adaptation and mitigation efforts, as well as overall sustainable development.

Violence against women and girls in the Pacific region is a serious and complex issue requiring urgent action. After years of advocacy by women’s rights and civil society organisations, Pacific Island governments have begun to adopt laws and policies to address this issue. However, governments and civil society organisations continue to face a number of barriers, including access to funding and resources, as well as a need for capacity building in key areas of project design and...

There has been progress towards gender equality and women’s empowerment in the Pacific, but it still remains a key challenge. The Millennium Development Goals have helped create awareness and gain political support for efforts to reduce poverty and achieve sustainable development across the globe. However, with the Millennium Development Goals coming to a close in 2015, the Pacific region’s progress towards achieving targets has been slow and uneven and many gender disparities still...

Violence against girls is also a serious problem in the Pacific. In Vanuatu and Solomon Islands more than 30 per cent of women reported they had been sexually abused before their 15th birthday. In Kiribati and Fiji the number was 20 per cent. Gender-based violence brings with it a raft of consequences for the individuals involved, their families and communities, as well as at regional and national levels. It has a substantial economic impact through increased healthcare, social services, and policing costs....