Evaluating The Level of Gender Sensitivity in Two Pacific Parliaments

The Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) is the global organization of national parliaments with a membership of 183 Member Parliaments and 15 Associate Members. The IPU promotes democratic governance, institutions and values, working with parliaments and parliamentarians to articulate and respond to the needs and aspirations of the people. It works to promote peace, democracy, human rights, gender equality, youth empowerment, climate action and sustainable development through political dialogue, cooperation and parliamentary action. The IPU has supported over half of its members to strengthen parliament capacity to perform their functions.

UNDP has been supporting more than 60 parliaments globally to strengthen parliament as an institution of good governance, inclusive development and public accountability. In the Pacific, the UNDP Pacific Office (PO) has been supporting Pacific Parliaments to fulfil the core functions of parliaments of law-making, oversight and representation. The PO has supported Pacific Parliaments to reform the parliamentary professional service, provided trainings and activities to strengthen parliamentary library and research services, provided policy support with a focus on SDG advocacy, supported the production of Budget Briefs for members to assist with informed debates on the national budgets, increased opportunities for citizens and CSO engagement in the work of parliament, built capacities for members and staff on substantive and procedural issues as well as skills such as public speaking, dealing with the media, debating, and codes of conduct, supported the development for institutional frameworks to ensure that parliaments have sufficient power and independence to contribute to democratic development.

The IPU collaborates with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) both nationally and globally for over 40 years. In late 2025, the IPU and UNDP have entered into a cooperation agreement to support parliaments in Pacific countries. Within this programme the IPU will support two parliaments to undertake Gender sensitivity self-assessments.

** Format**

The proposed activity is divided into two segments:

- An information seminar on “gender-sensitive parliaments”.

The seminar will aim at sharing basic gender concepts and collecting participants’ expectations thus ensuring there is a common understanding of the self-assessment exercise.
- A self-assessment exercise.

The exercise will combine a desk review of the main facts and documents related to the work

of Parliament and group discussions around questions to be defined based on the IPU

Gender-sensitive parliament self-assessment toolkit.[1]

** Coordination and Steering Group**

The self-assessment exercise will be spearheaded by the Parliament with the support from the IPU and UNDP.

A Steering Group will be set up in consultation with the Speaker, as well as with the Clerk. The Group will include equal numbers of women and men Members of Parliament and staff.

The Steering Group will meet to agree on the format of the sessions, the themes and questions to be addressed and the documentation to be made available to participants, based on the IPU self-assessment toolkit (Evaluating the gender sensitivity of parliaments). The Steering Group will also be tasked with ensuring follow-up action is undertaken after the exercise.

The IPU will support the Steering Group in the planning of the self-assessment exercise and in ensuring adequate follow-up.

** Participants**

A group of 5-10 persons will be formed, comprising of members of parliament and staff. The group must be gender-balanced, take into account the age and political diversity of Members of Parliament.

** Methodology**

Participants will conduct the assessment in plenary and/or in discussion groups and will be assisted by a team of IPU Consultants during the exercise.

Participants will analyse the following main issues:
1. The presence of women in Parliament and the positions they occupy;
2. The national legal framework on equality and the gender equality plans in Parliament;
3. Internal policies and procedures from a gender perspective;
4. Gender mainstreaming in the work of Parliament;
5. The parliamentary culture from a gender-perspective;
6. Key partnerships for gender equality: men parliamentarians and political parties.

A desk review will be conducted by Parliament prior to the activity. It will cover the national legal and policy framework on gender equality; internal policies and plans that relate to gender equality; the gender composition of parliamentary committees; and a gender break-down of leadership positions and of senior positions of staff of the National Assembly and of the National Council.

The self-assessment shall provide a baseline for Parliament’s continous assessment of progress on its level of gender sensitivity.

** Time and venue**

The self-assessment exercise shall take place in two Pacific parliaments in early 2026. A precis