Thursday 29th October 2020, Fiji (Suva) – Today, the Minister for Women, Children and Poverty Alleviation, Honorable Mereseini Vuniwaqa officially announced that the Government of Fiji is embarking on a mission to develop a Country Gender Assessment (CGA) through an inclusive consultation process with all relevant stakeholders.
The Government of Fiji recognises that if the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and targets are to be reached by 2030 with “no one left behind”, it is critical to enhance timely, quality and reliable information about gender equality which would support the formulation of gender responsive policies, programs and budgets.
The Country Gender Assessment (CGA) will inform on the status of all women and girls in Fiji and provide a comprehensive overview of gender issues in various sectors and critical areas including Health, Education, Economy, Violence against Women and Girls, Gender and Environment, Women in Leadership and Decision Making and others. CGA is expected to highlight many of the achievements made to date in Fiji as well as the remaining challenges. It will provide comprehensive policy briefs to deepen collective efforts for achieving gender equality and empowerment of all women and girls.
Minister Vuniwaqa states, “the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development aims 'to leave no one behind'. To bring all Fijian women and girls to the finishing line in 2030 at the same time as everyone else, we must be able to target them and their needs, and see what progress we are making. Data and statistics that adequately reflect the lived realities of all Fijian women and girls —gender statistics for short—are indispensable tools for developing evidence-based policies and solutions to achieve gender equality and empowerment of all women and girls. Such statistics, which include but are not limited to sex-disaggregated data, shed light on areas where progress is made, provide evidence of what works, and reveal gaps where further efforts are needed.”
The process of development of CGA will include the formation of Data Steering Group (DSG) and thematic Technical Working Groups consisting of relevant stakeholders. The Country Gender Assessment will be based on collection and analysis of available data as well as in depth review and consolidation of most updated literature, surveys and thematic reports at the national and regional level.
The Country Gender Assessment is supported by the Government of New Zealand with technical assistance from UN Women and had been endorsed by a Cabinet Decision in early 2020. The New Zealand High Commissioner, H.E. Jonathan Curr said, "access to robust data is necessary to identify and mitigate gender related barriers in achieving gender equality.”
The New Zealand Government is delighted to support the Ministry of Women Children and Poverty Alleviation in developing the Fiji Country Gender Assessment.
We recognize the cross over in this work with your ability to report on Fiji’s progress towards Sustainable Goal Five, Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment and the development of the National Action Plan to Prevent Violence Against Women and Girls."
The Ministry of Women, Children and Poverty Alleviation (MWCPA) will lead the process of the development of Fiji Country Gender Assessment over the next 12 months in close partnership with the Fiji Bureau of Statistics (FBoS) and all relevant stakeholders including civil society and women’s rights organisations.