Women of Influence - Journeys of Leadership, Representation, and Integrity

Gender Gaps in Pacific Audit Leadership

The Pacific Association of Supreme Audit Institutions (PASAI) unites supreme audit institutions (SAIs) across the region to strengthen public financial oversight in some of the world's most vulnerable economies. Many Pacific nations rely heavily on foreign aid and are bracing for massive inflows of climate-related funding, making independent, robust auditing essential to prevent waste, fraud, and misallocation.

Women remain underrepresented in senior SAI roles across the region, mirroring broader public sector and political gender imbalances in Pacific islands. This matters because diverse leadership in audit bodies improves scrutiny of policies affecting women, such as health, education, and disaster response spending—areas where gender-blind approaches often fail to capture differential impacts.

PASAI has elevated gender equality as a priority. Its current strategic plan running to 2034 includes dedicated programs to develop female leaders through cohorts and training, building on earlier gender strategies and a refreshed gender policy from early 2025. These efforts coincide with global pushes by INTOSAI and partners like UNDP to integrate gender perspectives into SAI work, including audits of Sustainable Development Goals.

The stakes are concrete: Pacific SAIs oversee budgets strained by rising debt, post-COVID recovery, and escalating climate costs—estimated in tens of billions over the coming decade. Inaction on gender inclusion risks entrenching male-dominated networks that may undervalue women's perspectives in integrity assessments and governance reforms. Recent PASAI activities, including integrity self-assessments and on-the-ground support in countries like Papua New Guinea, underscore the need for ethical leadership that reflects the populations served.

Non-obvious tensions include the trade-off between capacity building in small SAIs with limited staff and the urgency of addressing gender gaps before major funds arrive. Cultural norms in some member states slow change, even as international donors increasingly tie aid to governance improvements that implicitly demand inclusive institutions.