Pacific Women Lead (PWL) is a five-year (2021-2026) AUD$170 million regional gender equality program funded by the Australian Government. As suggested by the program title, Pacific women lead the program, define the problems, identify solutions, and drive strategy through a Governance Board of eminent Pacific women and men with strong and diverse membership from across the region.
Pacific Women Lead is ambitious in its intent to take a Pacific-led approach to promoting gender equality in the region. It is focused on delivering development outcomes for women and girls in all their diversity, and to bringing new emphasis to strengthening regional action and architecture in support of gender equality.
The Pacific Women Lead program is implemented through a range of partnerships: women in the Pacific leading on strategic direction, the Pacific Community (SPC) as a regional intergovernmental technical agency, Pacific Islands Forum Secretariate (PIFs) through the new Pacific Island Forum Women’s Leaders Meeting, Pacific Women’s Funds, United Nations (UN Women, UNFPA and UNICEF) and other non-government organisations.
Pacific Women Lead also includes bilateral investments and works to ensure that regional approaches contribute to progress at the national level. In taking this approach,
PWL has been designed to address and deliver on both Pacific and Australian Government commitments to progress gender equality in the region.