Fiji National University (FNU) will take the lead in delivering the Pacific Women’s Leadership and Climate Resilience Training Programme, marking a shift from short-term workshops to a sustained, university‑based approach to building gender‑responsive leadership across the region. The programme will be run through FNU’s newly formed Centre for Leadership, Governance and Security under its Leadership Pillar, and comes on the heels of an Asian Development Bank (ADB)‑supported training in which FNU staff participated alongside regional stakeholders.
The move positions FNU as a regional hub for leadership and climate resilience training, complementing existing initiatives such as the Vanua Leadership Training Programme. University leaders say bringing the training into an institutional home will help translate skills and lessons learned at the ADB event into structured programmes that can be adapted to community needs across Fiji and other Pacific countries.
Vice‑Chancellor Professor Unaisi Nabobo‑Baba said the appointment of FNU as lead offers “an important opportunity for FNU to take a leading role in advancing women’s leadership and climate resilience across the region.” She acknowledged staff who attended the ADB sessions and stressed that the knowledge gained would now inform how the university designs and delivers training with tangible community impact.
Associate Dean Research at FNU’s College of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Dr Mereia Fong, has been named coordinator of the FNU Training Project. Dr Fong will be responsible for developing and implementing the programme, working closely with participating staff and university leadership to align course content, delivery methods and community outreach with Pacific realities.
Pro‑Vice‑Chancellor Corporate Services Professor Nii‑K Plange said the transfer of the programme to FNU reflected the university’s “growing leadership role in the region.” He thanked the ADB for its support and said the university was well placed to craft a structured and sustainable approach to leadership and climate resilience training that is strategically aligned and capable of delivering meaningful impact across Fiji and the wider Pacific.
A debrief session is scheduled in the coming weeks to map out the programme’s strategic direction and next steps, officials said. That meeting will aim to ensure the FNU‑led initiative dovetails with national and regional priorities in climate resilience and gender equality and to set timelines for rollout, partner engagement and monitoring.
The development comes amid a broader regional push to elevate women’s roles in climate adaptation and community leadership, including recent externally funded programmes targeting women‑led climate solutions. By anchoring the training within an academic institution, FNU leaders say the programme can support longer‑term capacity building, research linkages and the integration of Pacific knowledge systems into leadership and resilience training. The university reiterated its commitment to empowering women leaders and strengthening institutional responses to climate change through education, training and regional collaboration.
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