Linda Petersen

• Lead Consultant, SURGE Panel, Intersectional Gender Equality Review of DFAT ToR for Evaluation of the Pacific Churches Program, July 2025.
• Lead Consultant, SURGE Panel, Intersectional Gender Equality Review of DFAT Vuvale Governance Initiative Design, June 2025.
• Lead Consultant, SURGE Panel, GESDI Analysis of DFAT Fiji-Australia Institutional Partnerships Program, Feb-March, 2025.
• Lead Consultant/Advisor, SURGE Panel, Gender Analyses of DFAT Strategic Program Frameworks (Design Stage) for FSM, Palau and RMI, January 2025.
• Team Member, MFAT Fiji Program (2019-2024) Strategic Evaluation, May to November 2024.
• Consultant, Design of the SPC Gender Flagship, SPC, February – June, 2024.
• Team Member/Regional Adviser, Evaluation of Phase 3, Progressing Gender Equality in the Pacific (PGEP) Programme, SPC, March-June, 2024.
• Lead Consultant, Pacific Leaders Gender Equality Declaration (Redraft) & PLGED Advocacy and Engagement Strategy, PIFS, June-September 2023.
• Team Member/Regional Advisor, SPC HRSD Business Plan Update, Humanitarian Advisory Group, June-September 2023 (Ongoing)
• Lead Consultant, POETCom, Development of POETCom Women’s Chapter 5 Year Strategic Plan, May-August, 2023.
• Lead Consultant, Review and Update of the Palau Gender Country Plan, DFAT/Pacific Enabling Services, November 2022-February, 2023.
• Team Leader, Fiji Gender Equality Country Plan, DFAT/Pacific Women Lead Enabling Services, July-October, 2022.
• Team member/Regional Adviser, SPC Women in Leadership Review and Design of SPC Women in Leadership Programme. March-June 2022
• Team Leader, Review of the Pacific Leaders’ Gender Equality Declaration, July-October, 2021.
• Gender and Social Inclusion Specialist, Coffey International Design Team – Pacific Partnerships for Social Protection Program, DFAT Design, December 2020-April 2021.
• Review of the UN Women Fiji Multi-Country Office Strategic Note, August-September 2020.
• Gender, Social Inclusion and Human Rights Specialist, Pacific European Union Marine Partnership Programme, Pacific Community, July – November 2020
• Development of SPC Social Development Program Civil Society Engagement Strategy, October 2019- January 2020
• Beijing +25 consultation meeting, Facilitator and Report review, October – November 2019

Regional Engagement Adviser, Pacific Women Shaping Pacific Development Support Unit, October 2017-June 2019

• Technical Adviser, Pacific Regional Learning Event on Women’s Economic Empowerment, May 2019
• Establishment of the Women’s Economic Empowerment Thematic Group
• Completion of the Year 3 program evaluation
• Completion of the review of the Pacific Women Support Unit
• Several Country Programme review processes and update/development of follow-on Country Programmes
• Oversight of conceptual development and startup of key regional initiatives including: Building Prosperity for Women through Organic Value Chains (SPC); Pacific Girl and Balance of Power (Pacific Women); and conceptual development of the Pacific Gender Equality Portal initiative; recently launched 2021 Triennial Conference of Pacific Women as Toksave: A Pacific Gender Equality Research Resource operating out of the Australian National University.

Pacific Women, now Pacific Women Lead (SPC) is the Government of Australia’s largest investment on gender equality in the Pacific. It operates in 14 Pacific Island countries – Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu. Pacific Women focuses on progressing: women’s leadership and decision making; women’s economic empowerment; ending violence against women; and enhancing women’s agency.

Working closely with the Canberra-based DFAT Program Director, I oversaw the strategic direction, planning and implementation of the programme and had overall responsibility for the Pacific Women Support Unit, which was set up to provide technical, funding, logistical and administrative support to the programme. Pacific Women is the Government of Australia’s largest investment on gender equality in the Pacific. (320m AUD over 10 years, 2012-2022). It operates in 14 Pacific Island countries – Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu. Pacific Women focuses on progressing: women’s leadership and decision making; women’s economic empowerment; ending

violence against women; and enhancing women’s agency. Working closely with the Canberra-based DFAT Program Director, I oversaw the strategic direction, planning and implementation of the programme and had overall responsibility for the Pacific Women Support Unit, which was set up to provide technical, funding, logistical and administrative support to the programme. Duties included programme planning, implementation, monitoring, evaluation and reporting; providing technical guidance on gender programming in the Pacific; representing the programme at various fora and with various stakeholders throughout the region; establishing and maintaining harmonious and effective relationships with Pacific Women stakeholders; representing the program; oversight of the development of programme strategy documents, e.g., Research Strategy, Capacity Development Strategy, Monitoring Evaluation and Learning Framework, Communications Strategy; and team performance management.

Key Achievements

• Establishment of the Pacific Women Advisory Group on Research
• § Establishment of the Women’s Economic Empowerment Thematic Group
• § Completion of the Year 3 program evaluation
• § Completion of the review of the Pacific Women
• § Several Country Program review processes and update/development of follow-on Country Programmes
• § Oversight of conceptual development and start up of key regional initiatives including: Building Prosperity for Women through Organic Value Chains (SPC); Pacific Girl and Balance of Power (Pacific Women); and conceptual development of the Pacific Gender Research Portal initiative; recently launched 2021 Triennial Conference of Pacific Women as Toksave: A Pacific Gender Equality Research Resource operating out of the Australian National University.

• Key activities included: policy development and implementation; capacity building; partnership development; knowledge and information sharing; and advocacy for human development.
• Key responsibilities included: strategic leadership to the HDP staff which consisted of a multi-disciplinary team of regional advisers, thematic specialist and programme support staff, located across three countries – Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji and New Caledonia; leading the development of the first HDP Strategic Plan in consultation with SPC members and partners; work planning and monitoring of programme achievements; preparation, negotiation, finalisation of the annual programme budget as part of the annual division budget process; quality assurance of quarterly and annual programme reports, including contributions to governing council reports; and regular updates and assessment of national and regional work programmes and projects to the Executive. This work required the negotiation and development of project/funding agreements with a wide range of development partners.

• Responsible for the management and delivery of services to SPC member countries in the areas of progressing gender equality and social policy. Duties included: programme management and delivery, planning, including identifying and supporting the design of gender initiatives and activities at both country and regional level; developing and leading implementation of the 2006–2009 Pacific Women’s Bureau Strategic Programme Plan; annual reporting to the Deputy Director General, the SPC Governing Council, and the Committee of Regional Governments and Administrations (CRGA); provision of technical advice to the SPC executive team on gender equality and social development issues; leadership and supervision of a team of technical and administrative support staff; and management and reporting on the annual budget.
• A key achievement of this role was management and implementation of the Kiribati and Solomon Islands Family Health and Safety Studies on gender- based violence against women and children, in partnership with these country Governments, UNFPA and DFAT. These studies used the globally tested World Health Organisation methodology. They were the fore runners of later studies conducted by UNFPA and funded by DFAT in 8 more Pacific Island countries and territories laying the foundation for high level advocacy and critical policy and legislative reform in support of eliminating violence against women and girls in the Pacific region.

• Responsible for the design of UNDP programmes, and the delivery of technical and funding support to Pacific Island countries and territories. Duties included: design and development of UNDP’s Pacific Sub-regional Centre MDG and Poverty Reduction Programme; organisation and implementation of joint UN agency initiatives such as the UN Development Assistance Framework exercise for Kiribati, Tuvalu, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu; and, in collaboration with the SPC, compilation of the first Regional Millennium Development Goals Report for the Pacific.

• Responsible for the delivery of country and regional poverty related programmes and for integrating poverty into UNDP environment and governance programmes and projects; working with governments to identify appropriate project entry points; lead the subsequent design and management of these projects; and reporting on project progress at various fora and regional learning events.

• Responsible for overseeing country and regional programmes in the health, gender, poverty, and education sectors; providing ad-hoc technical assistance to programmes in other thematic areas, including disaster management; undertaking regular engagement with project teams and governments; organising and participating in bi-annual and annual project review exercises; overseeing annual reporting processes including financial reporting; and shared programme learning at regional events.