After three years of collaboration and learning, National Human Rights Institutions (NHRIs) in the Pacific gathered online to mark the conclusion of the APF Human Rights Community-Led Development (HRCLD) program.

Held via Zoom from 13–15 May 2025, the final talanoa (dialogue) brought together representatives from the Fiji Human Rights and Anti-Discrimination Commission, the Office of the Ombudsman, Samoa, and the Office of the Ombudsman, Cook Islands, alongside the APF, the Pacific Community (SPC), and community participants from the region.

The HRCLD approach places communities at the centre of human rights work, supporting them to identify issues, strengthen resilience, and find locally grounded solutions.

Facilitated by the APF in partnership with SPC, the program helped NHRIs implement this approach in culturally meaningful ways.

Highlights from the country projects included:

• Fiji: The FHRADC partnered with Vutia district communities to address water access through a human rights lens, building trust and encouraging equal participation in identifying and monitoring solutions.
• Cook Islands: The Ombudsman’s Office supported youth and people with disabilities through a human rights community-led development project, strengthening visibility and community ties. Participants led disaster preparedness efforts and influenced public discourse.
• Samoa: The Ombudsman’s Office engaged with local communities on climate change and governance, helping communities understand the links between these issues and human rights, and supporting them to voice their concerns.

Each institution presented its final case study report during the workshop, outlining achievements, challenges, and lessons learned, and discussing how to sustain the work into the future.

Community partners from the Disability and Youth Coalition (Cook Islands), the Vutia District (Fiji), and Fono Fa’avae (Samoa) also shared their reflections.

Destiny Tolevu, Compliance Lead of the Office of the Ombudsman (Cook Islands), reflected on the value of drawing from local culture:

“One of the biggest things we’ve learned is that we already have knowledge of what human rights are - we’re just now calling it by this name," she said.

"The concepts of respect and integrity already exist; we just need to bring out our traditional stories and practices to communicate what they mean. Because that’s what makes sense to us.”

Facilitated by the APF's Gender Equality and Capacity Development Manager and APF consultant Dr Jill Chrisp, the talanoa closed with a shared sense of achievement and regional solidarity.

A more detailed report on the program’s impact will be published next month.