Parliamentary Capacity
摘要
The gender mainstreaming mandate of the Fiji Parliament was largely an exogenous reform introduced by individuals keen to ensure a new parliament could meet international benchmarks of parliamentary democracy. The introduction of a rule is logically followed by some attempt to abide by it. In this chapter, I explore the implementation of the rule between 2015 (when committees were established in the new parliament) and 2022. This period aligns with the two parliaments under Frank Bainimarama’s FijiFirst government, introduced in Chapter 3 . Using the questions outlined in the conceptual framework of Chapter 2 , this chapter assesses the capacity of the Fiji Parliament to undertake gender mainstreaming. Following a brief description of the committee context, including women’s representation on those committees, I present an analysis of the gender outputs achieved through this process. This analysis paints a picture of limited implementation. I then explore the contextual factors that contribute to its limited implementation including: an inconsistent understanding (and misunderstanding) of the mandate across different groups of critical actors; an infrequent take up of tools and training delivered to support institutional capability; a parliamentary reluctance to consult with civil society organisations (CSOs) and accept their advice; and the disinterest of government members in fully engaging in gender oversight.