Honiara Central Market Vendors Association (HCMVA) Constitution Review

[Press Release]

Solomon Islands — Market vendors from the Honiara Central Market are gathering for the first time to review their constitution.

Twenty vendors from Honiara Central Market Vendors Association (HCMVA) and market management staff are meeting for two days with a legal consultant in Honiara to review their constitution, facilitated by UN Women’s Markets for Change (M4C) project.

Improving governance among market management, vendors and local governments is a guiding principle of the M4C project, to enable better decision-making processes that are more gender-responsive and accountable and receptive to the needs of market vendors.

President of Honiara Market Vendors Association (HCMVA), Mrs Maureen Sariki. Photo: UN Women/Collin Potokana

President of HCMVA, Maureen Sariki, said the workshop marks an important milestone for HCMVA as it is the first time the association has reviewed its constitution since it was established in 2014.

“As HCMVA’s membership continues to grow, it is important that our constitution provides the foundation for strong and transparent governance, and that includes clarity around our leadership and our members’ rights to appropriately challenge decisions of the association,” she said.

“Workshops like this help our Executive Committee become confident leaders who understand and execute their functions and their roles to the benefit our vendors and their customers,” Mrs Sariki said.

During the two-day workshop, participants will discuss and review the HCMVA constitution’s features and challenges. The process will include sessions for HCMVA members about dispute resolution processes, election processes, and the powers and functions of the HCMVA.

Kristy Nowland, Project Manager for UN Women’s Markets for Change in Solomon Islands, said the workshop reflected HCMVA’s strong commitment to represent the interests of market vendors.

“The Executive Committee’s participation in this workshop shows they are leading by example to ensure the leaders prioritise good governance for the association and the benefit of its members,” she said.

UN Women’s Markets for Change (M4C) project 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, M4C is principally funded by the Australian Government, and implemented in partnership with UNDP.