Marketplaces to better consider the majority of market vendors needs in allocating budgets

[Press Release]

Suva, Fiji — Regional training is assisting participants to better understand the impact of spending on women and men market vendors then plan gender responsive budgets.

Today completes the week-long Gender Responsive Budgeting (GRB) training, which is part of UN Women’s Markets for Change (M4C) project primarily funded by the Australian Government.

Participants from local and national government, provincial and municipal council officials from Fiji, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu are keen to use their new gender-inclusive budgeting skills, and their knowledge learned from visiting international GRB specialist Yamini Mishra, UN Women Asia and the Pacific.

GRB specialist Yamini Mishra. Photo: UN Women

Key speaker at the event Joshua Wycliffe, Permanent Secretary for the Fiji Ministry for Local Government Housing and Environment, highlighted his ministry’s commitment to continue to work towards improved gender equality in every sphere of life and “to increase the visibility of women in the decision-making processes” and to have “their voices heard better.” The Ministry for Local Government, Housing and Environment is a key partner with UN Women for the Fiji Markets for Change project and works together with UN Women to provide an enabling environment across 12 selected markets in Fiji.

“As Finance Managers / planners budgets we will consider that women and men have different roles, responsibilities and capabilities in society; and for budget planners to take into account the economic and social differences that exist between women and men. This would automatically mean that their needs will be resolutely reflected in our budget programmes.”

“This training is timely and useful,” according to Pauline Soaki, Director for Women's Development Division, Ministry of Women, Youth, Children, and Family Affairs, Solomon Islands. “It is giving us new knowledge and skills we need to create a better budget, to dig deep and challenge our prejudices, and to make budgets more gender inclusive."

John Ezra, Governance and Leadership Policy Analyst, Prime Minister's Office, Government of Vanuatu, said: "I think this is a very important workshop” adding that: “although we have a very high level, national sustainable plan with policy objectives to implement gender responsive budgeting, it needs to be translated to corporate and business budgets."

UN Women’s Markets for Change project, implemented through the UN Women Fiji Multi-Country Office (MCO), is hosting the event as part of its women’s economic empowerment programme. It supports the majority 70-90 per cent of market vendors who are women, in most Pacific countries, and having proportionate budget allocations to reinvest revenue in women’s economic empowerment.

“This may include gender-inclusive budgeting for a proportionate amount of safe and clean female ablutions, accommodation facilities, and child-friendly spaces,” said UN Women Fiji MCO Deputy Representative, Nicolas Burniat.

“This will have positive impacts on productivity and overall earnings for women plus marketplace management.”

UN Women’s Markets for Change (M4C) project is a key component of the organisation’s Women’s Economic Empowerment programme. M4C is a six-year, multi-country initiative that aims to ensure marketplaces in rural and urban areas of Fiji, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu are safe, inclusive and non-discriminatory, promoting gender equality and women’s empowerment. A UN Women project, Markets for Change is primarily funded by the Australian Government.