Beijing +20 national review, Fiji

Since 1960, a section has existed in Government to look after the interests of women. In 1987,
the Government established the Department for Women and Culture as the first national
machinery for gender in Fiji.
Following commitments to the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action in 1995, that
department was raised to the Ministry of Women in 1998.Over time, the national women‟s
machinery has evolved from being a service delivery organization to one of policy formulation
and intervention thereby upgrading its status to being the primary adviser to government on
public policy issues that affect women.
In 2009, the national machinery became the Department of Women in the Ministry of Women,
Social Welfare and Poverty Alleviation (MSWWPA). The Department of Women has continued
to pursue its role as primary advisor to Government on public policies that affect women.