Balance of Power (BOP) has established country offices in Suva, Fiji; Port Vila, Vanuatu; and Nuku’alofa, Tonga, all led by national staff. Our Suva-based office is housed with the Pacific Women Lead Enabling Services unit; but while we receive funding from the Australian Government through Pacific Women Lead, we function as an autonomous initiative. Our Suva office is also responsible for BOP’s regional activity, engaging with key regional institutions based in Suva, including the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat (PIFS), the Pacific Community (SPC), the University of the South Pacific (USP) and the Pacific Islands Association of NGOs (PIANGO).
Vanuatu
Fiji
Tonga
BOP’s work in Vanuatu is guided by the National Gender Equality Policy (2020-2030), under the National Sustainable Development Plan 2030, and in line with the 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent.
Priority areas include:
BOP is producing a ten-part documentary series, Tru The Lens, in partnership with local film-makers and the Vanuatu Broadcasting and Television Corporation. The series highlights the contributions made by women leaders from different sectors to the country’s development, and is being used to catalyse discussion on gender roles through community screenings. BOP is also supporting photographic exhibitions that showcase women’s nation-building impact through the public and private service, and working closely with the Press Klab to deliver a range of community and school discussion forums.
With only one woman elected in the last general election, BOP is undertaking a research project on voter motivations, including perceptions of women’s political leadership, in partnership with the Department of Women’s Affairs, the National Youth Council and the Australian National University. Following the data collection, community forums will be run in each location, to engage communities in conversations about women’s political participation and leadership.
In response to growing demand for explicit leadership training across institutions, BOP is collaborating with key governance organisations, including the Department of Local Authorities, on facilitating customised leadership sessions. These focus on promoting the benefits of shared leadership and supporting women and men to lead together more effectively. The workshops are also being conducted with churches, with the core approach of framing discussions in ways that seek to build bridges between Christian belief and women’s leadership.
BOP is working closely with the Department of Women’s Affairs to support its legislative and advocacy initiatives around women’s leadership and political participation, at provincial and national levels.
BOP’s work in Fiji is guided by Fiji’s National Development Plan, and in line with the 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent.
Priority areas include:
BOP is working with the Ministry of I’Taukei Affairs and other civil society stakeholders to build awareness of the many ways women express their agency and voice in traditional fora at the village, district and provincial level. Building on this, BOP is supporting women’s groups to identify opportunities for their members to further exercise leadership in traditional contexts, as well as how to engage effectively within modern governance systems, including participation in municipal elections.
To understand perceptions of the younger generation, BOP has partnered with the University of the South Pacific Students Association USPSA) Laucala/Fiji Chapter to explore students’ attitudes and mindsets around women’s leadership legitimacy. This has included a survey on attitudes of students from around the region based in Suva, the findings of which are being used to foster discussions and to advocate for policy changes around women’s leadership representation within the University’s structures.
Soqosoqo Vaka Marama iTaukei (SSVM) is the oldest member-based indigenous women’s organisation in Fiji. From its inception, SSVM has provided opportunities for its members to advocate for women’s representation in traditional spaces, in local and national fora. BOP is working with SSVM to connect its current membership with younger, emerging women leaders and to lobby for more inclusive traditional governance structures.
BOP’s work in Tonga is guided by the Women’s Empowerment and Gender Equality Tonga Policy (2019-2025), under the Tonga Strategic Development Framework II (2015-2025) and in line with the 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent.
Priority areas include:
As a long-standing Women in Leadership coalition, FFFT is a key partner to driving change in women’s representation and voice in Tonga. Following the national election results in November 2021, with no women elected to office, FFFT is refocusing efforts on Temporary Special Measures (TSM). As part of its support, BOP is now working with FFFT, consultation with the Women’s Affairs and Gender Equality Division to develop and implement a contextually appropriate TSM roadmap in the lead-up to the election in 2025.
Drawing from the findings of the voter perceptions survey, supported by BOP and led by the Tupou Tertiary Institute (TTI) along with Tonga National Youth Congress (TNYC), BOP is working with partners to shift attitudes around women’s legitimacy as political leaders. This includes supporting the alumni network of the Queen Salote College to engage in talanoa and mobilisation at the community level. It also involves working with media outlets and youth-focused organisations, such as Take The Lead, on targeted advocacy and empowerment initiatives.
In Tonga, one of the spaces where men meet and engage on a range of social and economic issues is in Kava Clubs. Utilising its network of relationships, BOP is facilitating a series of discussions with targeted Kava Clubs to foster reflection on inclusive leadership and its connections with family and faith values and traditions.
BOP is supporting the Public Service Commission through customised training in adaptive and inclusive leadership to increase organisational effectiveness.