Economic empowerment of women one sure way to alleviate poverty – Vuniwaqa

The economic empowerment of women is one sure way to alleviate poverty and in the post COVID world, it especially holds immense strength to get economies back on their feet, according to Minister for Women, Children and Poverty Alleviation Mereseini Vuniwaqa.

While speaking during the graduation of over a hundred women who completed their training under the Ba Women’s Forum Outreach Training program, Vuniwaqa says Women’s rights are human rights and the human rights case for gender equality is unarguable.

Vuniwaqa adds the human development, economic and business gains from empowering women are substantial.

She further says greater gender equality means a country is associated with better education and health, higher per capita income, faster and more inclusive economic growth, and greater international competitiveness.

Vuniwaqa adds we must address adverse stereotypes and implicit biases in our society and also implement women friendly policies and projects to promote greater economic participation of women in national development – we must because the impact of women’s economic participation is life changing inmost cases, especially when women are able to stand economically independent and re-invest their earnings in their families and households.

She says the Fijian Government has shown its commitment to women’s development by becoming signatories to CEDAW in 1995, and several other international and regional treaties; and over the past decade raising the budgetary allocation to the National Women’s Machinery by approximately 300%, allowing more and quality policies and programs for women’s empowerment.