Women are key contributors to economic growth- Kiran

Women make up 49.3 percent of Fiji’s total population, and if provided with the right support and empowerment, women’s participation in the economy would stimulate wider benefits for Fiji.

This has been highlighted by the Assistant Minister for Women, Children and Poverty Alleviation, Sashi Kiran during the International Women’s Day Celebration organized by the United Nations Development Programme Pacific Office in Fiji.

Kiran says there are gains in poverty reduction, environmental sustainability, innovation, and decision-making on a wider set of issues.

She says societies with greater gender equality not only offer better socioeconomic opportunities for women, but also tend to grow faster and more equitably.

Kiran says women are the biggest untapped resource when it comes to the ambition of driving development or enjoying sustainable growth.

The event also served as a hand-over of equipment under the Markets for Change Project that is implemented by UN Women in partnership with UNDP with support from the Governments of Australia, Canada, and New Zealand.

Kiran says the support under the Markets for Change Project has enabled 13 municipal markets in Fiji to be well equipped with online training equipment including multimedia projectors, portable pull-up screens and hard drives.

Kiran also asked the Markets for Change Program to consider a booth to provide information on other services including para-legal to assist the vendors and users access services more easily.

She says they will also develop Fiji's first Women Economic Empowerment National Action Plan, which will focus on unpaid care, the informal economy, property and assets, digital and financial inclusion, education and future jobs, entrepreneurship, and more.

Kiran thanked UN Women on behalf of the Government for the Markets for Change (M4C) project which focuses on promoting Gender Equality and Women Economic Empowerment activities across the marketplaces in rural and urban areas in Fiji, Vanuatu, Solomon Islands and Samoa.

The Resident Representative for the United Nations Development Programme, Dawn Del Rio says the Fiji Government must also be acknowledged for paving the way for partners and communities to collaborate with international organizations, non-governmental organisations, partners, donors, and communities in its efforts to eliminate poverty, and promote gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls.

Del Rio adds the handing over of the equipment demonstrates UNDP's commitment to supporting inclusive growth policies and strategies aimed at increasing financial inclusion and reaching out to vulnerable groups such as rural women market vendors and farmers.

Del Rio says this support will ensure that urban and rural market vendors and farmers under the Programme have the resources they need, to constantly learn new ideas, methods, or techniques to better serve their families, communities, and the nation.

This support will ensure the urban and rural market vendors and farmers contribute to improving their lives, thus alleviating poverty.