Feminist regional governance in the Pacific Islands

In the Pacific Islands region, many activists and groups avoid embracing the term feminist, considering it too embedded in western conceptualisations of women’s rights and gender equality and not necessarily relevant to the Pacific context. Yet in regional governance there is a long history of women’s organising towards goals that are feminist in nature, if not in name. Women have challenged male-dominated governance structures and advocated alternative approaches to development and broader, more inclusive definitions of regional security. Furthermore, there is a growing explicitly feminist movement staking a claim in discussions on key regional issues including climate change. While the future of feminist regional governance in the Pacific Islands remains unclear, there are positive signs of progress and a strong tradition of advocacy to draw on.