The Australia Awards South Asia & Mongolia program is seeking technical proposals from Registered Training Organisations in Australia, or Australian tertiary institutions as defined in the Higher Education Support Act, 2003 Table A, B and C, to design and deliver a Short Course on Junior Diplomatic Training Multi Country.

Abt Global is seeking a suitably qualified individual to fill the role of Senior Procurement Manager to be based in Port Moresby, PNG. 

Fiji Program Support Platform (FPSP)

• Long term role - commencing March 2025 to 30 June 2027
• Open to National and International applications  
• Based in Suva, Fiji

Program Overview:

The Fiji Program Support Platform (FPSP, or the ‘Platform’) is a Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) investment that will contribute to the delivery of Fiji’s national development priorities, in line with the Australia’s International Development Policy, the Fiji-Australia Vuvale Partnership and the Development Partnership Plan. 

The Platform will deliver key bilateral programs, such as health, education, scholarships, social infrastructure, governance, climate and emergency preparedness and response. Platform activities will identify and address climate risks, promote climate action, and gender equality, disability and social inclusion (GEDSI) across and beyond the sector programs.

The Platform has three functional Outcomes: 

1. The Platform has delivered its sector program outcomes, including through supporting strategic coherence, planning, partnerships management, data and learning across the portfolio of investments.
2. The Platform has prioritised gender equality and disability-inclusive development, and climate and disaster resilience, in its systems and practices. This includes in how it undertakes sector programming and its engagement with selected Government of Fiji agencies.
3. The Platform administers timely and efficient programming that is: value for money; maximises use of local supply chains; and supports good governance and public diplomacy, effective decision making and risk management.

The Platform implements over fifty percent of Australia’s bilateral development support to Fiji across a range of sector programs in education, health, Australia Awards, disaster response, cyclone recovery, social infrastructure and technical assistance to improve public sector governance in Fiji. 

The Platform integrates cross-cutting themes, including gender equality, disability and social inclusion (GEDSI), climate and disaster resilience, across sectoral programs. In particular, the Platform seeks to strengthen program outcomes by better addressing the needs of targeted beneficiaries including those who are often marginalised.

Infrastructure Programs:

The Australian Government is currently delivering three social infrastructure programs (Infrastructure Programs) in Fiji:

• The Cyclone Recovery Program will deliver infrastructure upgrades at Taveuni and Kadavu hospitals. The program will conclude 31 December 2025. 
• The Colonial War Memorial (CWM) Hospital Redevelopment Master Plan will deliver a comprehensive masterplan for a new national referral hospital. 
• Fiji Social Infrastructure Program will support upgrades to school infrastructure, commencing with priority schools identified through an audit of Suva-Nausori school infrastructure; and provide technical assistance to the Ministries of Education and Health to uplift their systems, process and capacity for maintenance and upgrades over the medium term.

The incumbent will also manage the Platform’s Infrastructure flexible fund. These programs will be delivered through the Platform, and compliment other infrastructure investments that are delivered through the Australian Infrastructure Financing Facility for the Pacific (AIFFP).  

The MIPU Women’s Network was formally launched in November 2023. It is a key activity under the MIPU Inclusivity Policy as summarised below. 

The MIPU Inclusivity Policy (2015) has five policy objectives: 

• Strive to be a workplace that is inclusive, diverse and fair for all employees, contractors, volunteers and ensures access and equity in employment, training and promotion opportunities
• Endeavor to provide the highest possible level of service to the community and to ensure that all working activities are delivered keeping in mind the need to provide accessible and inclusive services to the Vanuatu population
• Acknowledge that everyone should have equal opportunities to participate effectively regardless of age, gender, culture, race, economic circumstance, disability, religion, family responsibilities
• Aim to increase opportunities for people, especially disadvantaged groups, to engage in all aspects of the community and to work their way to a better life by developing policies and programs that can support individuals to do this
• Encourage all employees to develop their skills with barriers faced by specific groups identified and action taken to address them.

1. Vision
2. Inclusivity Policy and Women’s Empowerment

The vision is to ‘create a positive workplace culture that is gender diverse and inclusive in which women and men are equally represented, valued and rewarded. It is recognized that males and females have different needs and perspectives to consider (MIPU Inclusivity Policy, p. 4).

There are two key sections of the MIPU Inclusivity Policy that focus specifically on women.

A. Promotion of Women’s Empowerment

The MIPU Inclusivity Policy identifies the following principles:

Women working within the Ministry have the same potential as men, and should be included in all areas of work. Affirmative action must be taken so that women can be empowered to communicate and participate on an equal footing with men.

A.1 Policy Requirements

In taking affirmative action to maximize the inclusion of women in the workplace, the Ministry should support:

• The establishment of a Women’s Network to enhance and maintain a positive working culture for women, involving activities and social events to bring female staff together and to promote inclusion for women across all departments
• The establishment of a mentoring program for women
• Strategies for recruiting and promoting female staff into management positions.

B. Safety and Security

Women have a right to enjoy a safe and secure workplace, free from violence, sexual harassment, and threatening behaviour.

B.1 Policy Requirements

In order to provide a safe and secure workplace for women the Ministry should:

• Ensure that lighting is provided for paths to and from the workplace after dark.
• Provide separate toilets for women in all workplaces.
• Maintain an incident log to record all incidents affecting the safety and security of women.

The MIPU Women’s Network has an Action Plan includes a focus on developing a cadre of women leaders across MIPU.

3. Inclusivity policy and youth

Young people globally are often situated at the margins of society and viewed as having little to contribute. With limited experience in the world of work and few opportunities to gain this experience, young people in Vanuatu risk not being able to successfully transition to adulthood. In Vanuatu, youth are defined as being between the ages of 12 and 30 years, whilst acknowledging that there are also cultural considerations that may extend the period of youth to those under the age of 12 years.[1] When we use the term ‘youth’ we are referring to young females and males between the ages of 12 and 30 years.

MIPU acknowledges that:

• Youth form an important part of the workforce and represent the country’s future. In supporting Vanuatu’s young people, and harnessing their potential, the Ministry should work towards creating training and employment opportunities for youth in the community. 
• Youth face many challenges in starting and succeeding in a new job. The Ministry should strive to facilitate stable and nurturing relationships toward young employees (including interns and cadets). 
• In 2023, the MIPU Women’s Network consulted extensively with youth to develop a Youth Action Plan, based on the aspirations for young people themselves. The Youth Action Plan identifies two clear actions to be implemented in the coming years: 
  • Creating opportunities for youth
  • Supporting youth in the workplace

Key outcomes from working with youth

Through working with youth, MIPU aims to:

1. Create opportunities for youth

Where possible, endeavor to take on requests from young people for work experience and internships. This could be done by working with community partners, such as Youth Challenge and other organisations and institutions.

1. Establish and maintain a formal cadet program, offering paid placements for work experience within MIPU 
2. Encourage SSCs to engage young people in road and infrastructure projects 
3. Identify potential CBC’s where youth groups can be engaged
4. Undertake regular career awareness sessions in schools 
5. Work with Learning Institutions to provide Industrial Attachment Placements for young people
6. Identify employment opportunities with Ministry and Donor supported initiatives and projects 

2. Support youth in the workplace

Provide opportunity to develop competencies and skills through formal training and regular on-the-job coaching and mentoring sessions.

1. Encourage and support youth to actively participate in decision-making 
2.  Identify training opportunities for young employees in project designs 

In addition, the Public Works Department has developed a Universal Social Safeguard Guide on Community Consultation and youth are identified as a group that need to be included in discussions and decision making about matters that affect them. 
 

[1] Vanuatu National Youth Development Policy 2012-2022 https://vnyc.gov.vu/images/nationalyouthdevelopmentpolicy.pdf (access sate 15 June 2024).