The Women in Leadership Programme (WIL) programme is the first internal gender mainstreaming programme in a CROP agency. The WIL programme goal is that: SPC is a regional/global leader in accelerating gender equality, inclusion, and diversity in the workplace. The WIL programme objective is to: Enhance the representation of women in leadership roles within SPC and thereby ensure that more women meaningfully inform and participate in the strategic and programmatic direction of the organisation.

The WIL Programme has an allocation of AUD 3.02 million over 5 years (2021-2026), funded by DFAT. This is managed through the SPC Executive Office, with support from the Human Rights and Social Development Division. The WIL Programme, in partnership with the Pacific Women Lead at SPC programme, strengthens coherence on the gender equality commitments of SPC.

 SPC sees the programme as the vehicle that enhances SPC’s corporate direction to embed substantive equality through a change in organisational culture, strengthening of accountability mechanisms, policies and procedures that not only support women’s career progression but creates a culture in which all staff can thrive. 

The WIL programme is organised under three pillars; Our Organisation; Our People; and Our Influence. At the end of five years, the programme aims to contribute to the following three long-term outcomes.

Further to the 3 key pillars, the WIL Programme has 5 Key Programme Components emerging from the 16 Key Recommendations:

Mereseini Rakuita, Principal Strategic Lead - Pacific Women and Girls

The establishment in 2022 of the Principal Strategic Lead position within the SPC Executive Office reporting directly to the Director General signals SPC’s political will and commitment to place gender equality at the centre of its work. This role is central to the organization’s work to strengthen policies and practices to achieve the transformational changes required to improve the status of women and girls in the Pacific.

The Principal Strategic Lead provides strategic and high-level leadership of the WIL Programme and Pacific Women Lead and champions gender equality and the empowerment of women within SPC and externally.

The Principal Strategic Lead is a member of SPC’s Senior Leadership Team (SLT) and works across the organisation in collaboration with the Executive Office and Human Rights and Social Development Division to support the integration and sustainability of gender equality along with women and girl’s empowerment across the organization and CROP agencies.

Julie Bikikun, WIL Programme Coordinator

The WIL Programme Coordinator is responsible for implementing and managing the WIL Programme and supporting institutional strengthening and a people-centred approach. The role provides technical advice, assistance, and capacity building across SPC and the Human Rights and Social Development Division work programmes. The Programme Coordinator functions under a matrix arrangement, based within the Human Rights and Social Development Division with dual reporting to the Executive Office through the Principal Strategic Lead and the Human Rights and Social Development Division. In 2023 the Programme Coordinator played a key role in supporting the initiation processes for the SPC Gender Equality Flagship as a core business to drive gender equality in SPC and externally.

Through the Gender Equality Flagship and SPC’s Principal Strategic Lead, the following are a few of the initiatives in place or supported by WiL programme to increase awareness and advance gender equality:

• Gender Community of Practice: an emerging technical group for the Gender Equality Flagship. It provides a platform for networking, sharing of information and collaboration to advance gender equality across SPC sectors and divisions, and with partners. SPC sectors such as Energy, Maritime, Stats and Data, Water Security and Geospatial are now active members of the Community of Practice and bring a diverse and rich engagement to SPC’s gender equality work. The Community of Practice has been instrumental to support the commencement of the work on Gender Equality Flagship.
• CROP Women of the Wave (WOW): Engagement with CROP agencies through the CROP Women of the Wave Network has strengthened knowledge and understanding among CROP agencies on how to embed gender equality in institutions The CROP WOW engagement supported agencies looking to replicate WIL or similar initiatives such as the FFPA and SPREP. This work has extended to other Pacific development agencies. OCOS is the first agency to invite the WIL Programme to share its work with them.
• Micronesian Gender Equality Framework: The WIL Programme facilitated the engagement of CROP members at the Strategic Planning Meeting to develop the first Micronesian Gender Equality Framework held in Hawaii from 11-13 July. The Forum Fisheries Agency (FFA), the South Pacific Travel Organisation (SPTO) and Pacific Power Association and Pacific Islands Development Program (PIDP) attended. Key stakeholders discussed and identified key priorities for advancing gender equality in the sub-region and the progress for developing the Micronesian Gender Equality Framework.
• SPC Library – Women in Leadership initiatives section: The collaborative work of the gender equality Community of Practice to document and exhibit gender equality work throughout the organisation was a highlight as was the partnership started between the library & Information Services and the WIL Programme coordinator to showcase the gender equality work of SPC over the years.

Contact:
WIL Programme Coordinator, Julie Bukikun | [email protected]