HRSD is the custodian of the Pacific Platform for Action on Gender Equality and Women’s Human Rights 2018–2030.
The Pacific Platform for Action for Gender Equality and Women’s Human Rights (PPA):
- Provides a roadmap for accelerating achievement of gender equality and enhancing the well-‐being of women and girls;
- Supports action on national, regional and international gender equality commitments made by Pacific Island countries and territories (PICTs), particularly under the Pacific Leaders’ Gender Equality Declaration (PLGED – revitalised I 2023) and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs);
- Guides PICTs, regional agencies and development partners in prioritising strategic approaches to achieve gender equality.
The objective of the PPA is to accelerate the implementation of gender commitments at all levels in order to achieve gender equality and the promotion and protection of the human rights of all women and girls, in all their diversity. In particular, the PPA provides a tool for making concrete progress and taking action to achieve the outcomes under the PLGED, which Pacific Island Leaders have agreed to implement. Pacific Island governments and administrations, civil society organisations, CROP agencies and development partners supporting initiatives in the region are encouraged to use the PPA to guide their gender policies and actions.
The PPA is a historical instrument which our member countries made a commitment to as our region was preparing to attend the 4th World Conference on Women, held in Beijing in 1995. Since then, SPC has provided leadership across the region to promote gender equality and to facilitate technical support to advance the agenda for women through the PPA. Two reviews of the PPA have taken place since its start, as detailed on the SPC Digital Library - PPA collection and on individual pages:
The recent version of the Pacific Platform for Action for Gender Equality and Women’s Human Rights 2018–2030 takes into account existing regional and international instruments for promoting gender equality, such as the 2012 Pacific Leaders’ Gender Equality Declaration (PLGED) (revitalised in 2023) and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and commitments made by PICTs to progress gender equality. These commitments include national gender policies, the Framework for Pacific Regionalism, the SAMOA Pathway, the Beijing Platform for Action, the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) and the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD).
HRSD’s gender portfolio also contributes to progress in all five priority areas articulated in the PPA:
- Strengthening policy and legislation for the priority of gender equality and human rights
- Participation and opportunity in decision-making
- Reforms to give women equal rights to economic resources
- Eliminating all forms of violence against women and girls
- Universal access to sexual and reproductive health rights and diverse opportunities through education.
In 2024, Pacific island countries are reviewing their national progress under the PPA in the lead-up to this year’s 15th Triennial Conference for Pacific Women. The Triennial is held once every three years, with the forum used to collectively gather progress updates on the PPA, including progress to achieve the outcomes under the PLGED.
Following the 15th Triennial Conference of Pacific Women, the collation of progress made for gender priorities will also contribute to the region’s inputs to next year’s thirtieth anniversary of the Fourth World Conference on Women and adoption of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action (BPA+30).
Find out more about the Pacific Platform for Action.
Read the Pacific Platform for Action on Gender Equality and Women’s Human Rights 2018–2030
Find out about the15th Triennial Conference of Pacific Women and 8th Meeting of Pacific Ministers for Women
