Fiji has made history by hosting the first Pacific CEDAW Technical Cooperation Session, moving a crucial international women’s rights dialogue out of Geneva and into the region it serves.
Minister for Women, Children and Social Protection Sashi Kiran described the event as a milestone for Fiji and the Pacific.
Held from April 7 to 11 in Suva, the session brought together government representatives from 12 Pacific nations, marking a regional first and a powerful step forward for gender equality in the Pacific.
“We brought the CEDAW Committee to our shores. For the first time, Pacific voices spoke directly to global experts, on our terms,” she told parliament in an Update on the Pacific CEDAW Technical Cooperation Session.
Fiji’s constructive dialogue with the Committee on April 11 showcased major policy reforms and progress on women’s rights.
Highlights included the Gender Transformative Institutional Capacity Development Programme, a national Maternal and Child Health Policy, and improved gender budgeting across key sectors.
Notably, the Ministry of Agriculture reported a 28 percent increase in women beneficiaries.
The education sector revealed a higher rate of school transition for adolescent girls and that 55 percent of tertiary graduates are now women.
The CEDAW Committee acknowledged Fiji’s transparent reporting and legal strides in combatting violence and trafficking.
But Ms Kiran reminded Parliament of the urgent need to combat domestic violence, citing three deaths over the past weekend.
Fiji will receive the Committee’s concluding observations in June.
“This is just the beginning. We owe our girls and women a future shaped by equity, not violence.”
