At the request of the 2023 Pacific Islands Forum Leaders meeting and with support from OHCHR, the Pacific Community (SPC), the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat and UN Women, the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) will hold a Technical Cooperation Session in Suva, Fiji, where it will have exchanges with Fiji, Solomon Islands and Tuvalu on the recent periodic reports that they have submitted to the Committee. CEDAW will also engage with Governments from Pacific States that are not yet party to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women as well as with Pacific national human rights organizations, women’s rights organizations, women and youth rights holders, and other stakeholders.

The objectives of the one-week Pacific technical cooperation session are to:

• Achieve accelerated implementation of the CEDAW Convention
• Increase CEDAW reporting by States parties in the Pacific region
• Empower Pacific rights holders, duty bearers and other stakeholders to advance women’s rights under the CEDAW Convention
• Support the three States parties engaging with CEDAW and other States parties in the Pacific region in achieving improved outcomes
• Promote ratification of/assession to the CEDAW Convention by Showcasing CEDAW’s engagement with States parties to those States that have not yet ratified or acceded to the Convention (Niue, Palau and Tonga) and invite representatives of those States to a capacity-building session during the one-week technical cooperation session
• Advance implementation of the 2024 Pacific Triennial Conference Outcomes and 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific

Documentation:

• Closing remarks by Ms. Nahla Haidar, Chairperson of the CEDAW Committee
• Report of the Pacific Technical Cooperation session of the Committee 
• Concept note for the CEDAW Pacific Technical Cooperation Session
• Final programme of work 
• State party reports for country exchanges
  • Fiji
  • Solomon Islands
  • Tuvalu
  • Lists of delegations
    • Solomon Islands
    • Tuvalu
• Concept notes for side events
• Participation by national human rights institutions (NHRI information note) (Updated on 21 March 2025)
• Participation by non-governmental organizations (NGO information note) (Updated on 21 March 2025)

Registration

To access the public meetings of the Committee via the Zoom event platform all participants will need to register via this link: https://bit.ly/4bDGv9O

Submissions

• Fiji

  • NGOs
    • Fiji Women's Rights Movement (FWRM)
    • Human Rights Measurement Initiative (HRMI)
  • NHRIs
    • Human Rights and Anti-Discrimination Commission

• Tuvalu

  • NGOs
    • FATU LEI Association, TuCAN, Fusi Alofa Association, TRC and TNYC
    • Human Rights Measurement Initiative (HRMI)

• Solomon Islands

  • NGOs
    • Human Rights Measurement Initiative (HRMI)
    • Women's Rights Action Movement Solomon Islands (WRAM)

Statements

• Fiji

  • Opening Statement from the Head of the Delegation

• Solomon Islands

  • Opening Statement from the Head of the Delegation

• Tuvalu

  • Opening Statement by the Prime Minister of Tuvalu
  • Closing Remarks by the Head of the Delegation of Tuvalu 
• Recordings of the session (Please note that you should register first.)