Women's Fund Fiji Climate Training

The Women's Fund Fiji (WFF) began implementation in 2017 as a five-year initiative of the Australian Government’s Pacific Women Shaping Pacific Development (Pacific Women) program.  The Fund has committed up to AUD10.5 million from 2017 to 2022 to fund and build the capacity of women’s groups, organisations and networks in Fiji to expand and enhance their work on gender justice and human rights. The Fund is committed to advancing climate justice and empowering women and girls focusing on strengthening our work in this vital area. 

Recognising the growing importance of climate resilience and gender equality, disability, and social inclusion (GEDSI) in their grantees' work, the Fund worked with the Australia Pacific Climate Partnership (APCP) to identify ways to strengthen their work on climate through training and recommendations to bolster Strategic Focus Area 5 (Climate Justice & Humanitarian Action) across their next strategic plan cycle. 

On behalf of APCP, Talanoa Consulting conducted a focused two-day training for Women's Fund Fiji staff, covering the intersection of climate change, disaster resilience, and GEDSI. The training objectives were to build upon existing knowledge of these interconnected issues and to explore how climate justice and humanitarian actions taken since 2021 align with the WFF strategic plan.

A pre-training evaluation informed the tailored content, which featured eight sessions. These sessions provided in-depth technical information on climate and disaster resilience within the GEDSI context. Additionally, the program explored qualitative and quantitative methods for climate-related data gathering for MERL and reporting. 

Key speakers, including representatives from the Pacific Feminist Fund, Climate Change Division, iTaukei Affairs Board Conservation Unit, and UNDP Small Grants Programme, offered valuable insights into grant applications, climate financing, innovation, and collaborative opportunities. Quizzes and energizers were used to refresh GEDSI knowledge, identify existing nexus work within the Fund, and promote reflection.

The training prompted the Fund to reflect on its role as a resource mobilizer and explore how to integrate climate justice work through its established power redistribution model. Importantly, the training highlighted the need for the Fund to clearly define "climate justice" as a core thematic pillar and develop a strategic approach to its related work. 

Existing climate resilience work: The Fund supports the Building Resilient Fisherwomen community project with Women in Fisheries Network in Tailevu, Rewa, Ra, Ba, Naitasiri,