SUVA, Fiji — On July 22-25, 2025 the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) participated in the Pacific Islands Forum Women Leaders Meeting (PIFWLM) held at the Grand Pacific Hotel and the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat, reaffirming commitment to gender equality, human rights, and inclusive development through a series of high-level interventions across regional meetings and technical forums. The FSM joined Pacific Island nations in welcoming the Advisory Opinion of the International Court of Justice, which affirms the legal responsibility of states to address climate change and the FSM emphasized that climate change is not just an environmental challenge but a fundamental human rights issue that demands urgent, collective action.
The FSM commended the unprecedented engagement between the CEDAW Committee and Pacific communities. The delegation described the session as both a moment of pride and a critical learning opportunity as the FSM prepares its next report. The FSM pledged continued support for regional treaty reporting mechanisms and reiterated the importance of embedding Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI) across all initiatives, including the 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent and the Pacific Leaders Gender Equality Declaration. The FSM welcomed renewed efforts to re-strategize the Pacific’s collective response to Gender-Based Violence (GBV) and highlighted its National Policy to End Violence Against Women and Girls and multi-stakeholder partnerships, while announcing progress on four new national bills addressing technology-facilitated GBV sharing also that a new Digital Gender Officer has been appointed to lead gender-responsive digital safety and empowerment initiatives.
Recognizing the central role of women’s economic empowerment, the FSM underscored the need to address barriers such as limited financial access and the undervaluation of unpaid care work e.g. care for young children and/or elderly. The FSM called for greater support for women entrepreneurs and reaffirmed that economic inclusion is essential to sustainable and equitable growth.
The FSM also celebrated historic progress in women’s political leadership, including the election of the nation’s first female Lieutenant Governor in Pohnpei, record representation of women in State legislatures, and expanded roles for women in cabinet, judiciary, and diplomacy. The FSM Delegation was led by FSM Department of Health and Social Affairs Assistant Secretary Kasinda Ludwig with Social Affairs Advisor, Ms. Ruby Awa.
The FSM announced that it will host the 2026 Micronesian Ministers for Women Conference in Pohnpei, with a focus on aligning subregional outcomes with broader regional gender frameworks.
