SUVA, Fiji — The Government of Australia through its Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) is providing an additional grant aid of AUD 37 million (approx. USD 24 million) to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) Pacific for a second phase of the Transformative Agenda for Women, Adolescents, and Youth in the Pacific programme to improve sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) with a focus on ending unmet need for family planning in nine Pacific countries.
The agreement was signed between DFAT and UNFPA headquarters. The Transformative Agenda is UNFPA Pacific's largest programme, and also DFAT’s largest investment for a project on sexual and reproductive health in the Pacific.
Building upon the results achieved in its first phase (2018-2023) that targeted six countries of Fiji, Kiribati, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga and Vanuatu with AUD 30 million investment, the second phase of the Transformative Agenda programme that has commenced in June 2023 to continue till October 2027, will expand the programme countries to add three more Pacific island nations of the Federated States of Micronesia, Marshall Islands, and Nauru, with the increased overall budget from Phase I.
“UNFPA Pacific is grateful to the Government of Australia DFAT as its generous contributions will make it possible for us to continue this ambitious multi-country, multi-year, large-scale initiative for realizing transformative changes in the lives of women, adolescents and youth in the Pacific,” noted Iori Kato, UNFPA Director for the Pacific and Representative in Fiji.
The Transformative Agenda programme, with this second phase, will continue to focus on three pillars; one, to assist programme countries in increasing the availability of quality sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights information and services, particularly for family planning; two, increasing the demand for such integrated SRHR information and services, including through the Family Life Education (comprehensive sexuality education) for the adolescent and youth; and three, improving the conducive and supportive environment to enable the people in these countries to access and benefit from those information and services.
“Through the implementation of this Transformative Agenda Phase II, UNFPA Pacific hopes to contribute to the Pacific Small Island Developing States (SIDS) in accelerating their pace of addressing some common emerging challenges, such as curtailing high adolescent pregnancy and unmet need for family planning, and strengthening health systems’ resilience against climate-induced and other disasters,” Kato said. “The Transformative Agenda Programme employs gender-responsive, youth-friendly, and disability-inclusion approaches, to leave no one behind.”
Australia’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, H.E. Ms Penny Wong said, “Australia is committed to empowering all people, particularly women and girls, to realise and understand what their rights are when it comes to sexual and reproductive health. Investments in sexual and reproductive health and rights are key to improving health, strengthening gender equality and accelerating inclusive development.”
The Australia-funded Transformative Agenda Phase II is a part of UNFPA’s new 7th Multi-Country Programme for 14 Pacific Island Countries and Territories (2023-2027), implemented through UNFPA Pacific Sub-Regional Office (PSRO) in Fiji and other country offices across the region.
