The Limits of Donor Driven Investments in Women's Political Leadership

Evidence does show, and I'm talking particularly from a Pacific perspective, that there really has been pretty limited return on donor driven investments in terms of women's political leadership. Anything that smacks of foreign interference is rarely going to make an impact on influencing deep-seated cultural social norms. Anna offered to introduce me to her colleagues in Fiji and Vanuatu, working in some of those purple patches. But categorically the reason these initiatives have been successful is because they've been truly locally articulated, locally led - not designed or imposed by well meaning advisors like myself sitting in Canberra or Washington.