The International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) has wrapped up its Pacific Women Lead project in Fiji, a short-term initiative launched in December 2024 to boost women’s political participation ahead of the anticipated return of local government elections. The project, implemented in partnership with the Pacific Community (SPC) and supported by the Australian Government, aimed to strengthen women’s electoral inclusion and civic engagement at the municipal level.
According to an IFES media release, the programme’s headline achievement was training more than 300 women in campaign and leadership skills through its She Leads curriculum. The training sought to equip prospective candidates and civic leaders with practical tools for campaigning, public engagement and leadership within their communities. IFES said it worked alongside regional and local partners including femLINKpacific, SPC and other stakeholders across Fiji to deliver the sessions.
Alongside in-person capacity building, IFES launched a social media campaign titled Better Than This to spur greater political engagement among women, and to support inclusive civic and voter education efforts particularly targeting young Fijians. The campaign was designed to raise awareness of the opportunities local government elections could present for women’s leadership and broader community participation.
The project’s conclusion comes as national attention increasingly focuses on the return of local government elections — described by IFES as an important window for expanding civic participation and increasing women’s visibility in municipal leadership. IFES said the electoral period will be a key moment to encourage diverse local voices in decision-making and to translate training and awareness efforts into concrete electoral participation by women at the community level.
SPC, identified as the key implementing partner for the Pacific Women Lead initiative, framed the project within its broader regional gender equality work. The release noted SPC’s regional programme has more than AUD 56 million dedicated to its efforts under the Australian Government’s five-year, AUD 170 million Pacific Women Lead commitment, which funds a range of initiatives to promote women’s leadership and advance women’s rights across the Pacific.
While IFES did not specify exact dates for the trained women’s prospective candidacies or measureable follow-up outcomes, the organisation emphasised the timing of the project’s close as strategic, aligning capacity development with the approaching electoral cycle. Local government contests — often the most immediate point of community-level decision-making — are seen by advocates as a crucial entry point for increasing women’s representation and influence.
The Pacific Women Lead project adds to a growing slate of regional and local programmes seeking to address structural barriers to female political participation. With the project now complete, stakeholders including IFES, SPC and femLINKpacific will likely shift to monitoring how the skills training and the Better Than This campaign translate into women standing for office, voter turnout among women and youth, and representation in municipal councils when the local government elections proceed.