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United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs Sustainable Development

Women & Trade - Economic Empowerment of Women in the Pacific (Papua New Guinea)

International Trade Centre (ITC)
#SDGAction39944
Description
Description
Women play a key role in Pacific economies. They however operate largely in the fragmented informal sector where the lack of organisation, management, quality orientation, and access to markets jeopardize their capacity to grow and develop their businesses; in turn undermining the region's potential to use trade as a driver of growth, employment and poverty reduction.The purpose of the partnership is to provide businesswomen with the capacity to capitalise on potential opportunities to participate in formal markets, and as a result increase the economic benefits businesswomen in the Pacific region derive from their participation in trade. This is expected to contribute to improved livelihoods and poverty reduction for Pacific women and their communities.Support to Papua New Guinea's women Bilum producers has high potential given the prevalence of women in the sector, the existing traditional knowledge for twisting Bilum, and the marketability of hand-twisted fabric in international markets due to its uniqueness and appeal.While current exports of Bilum is low and not well organised, there is a firm interest from identified buyers and designers to make in Papua New Guinea high-end products using the Bilum technique. The buyers have expressed an interest in being involved in helping women Bilum producers achieve the necessary level of quality. Thus, the producers will become partners instead of being subcontractors as is usually the case in the fashion industry even in the ethical segment, and greater value will be created and more importantly retained at the producer level.The partnership will implement a project developed with the support of Pacific Island Trade & Invest (PT&I) building on their existing initiatives in Papua New Guinea, and will also rely on the University of Goroka.
Implementation of the Project/Activity
Capacity
Governed
Partners
International Trade Centre (ITC)
World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO)
Australian Government: Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
Government of Papua New Guinea
Small Business Development Corporation (SBDC), Papua New Guinea
Associations of Bilum producers in Papua New Guinea's highlands

Goal 8

Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all

Goal 8

8.1

Sustain per capita economic growth in accordance with national circumstances and, in particular, at least 7 per cent gross domestic product growth per annum in the least developed countries
8.1.1

Annual growth rate of real GDP per capita

8.2

Achieve higher levels of economic productivity through diversification, technological upgrading and innovation, including through a focus on high-value added and labour-intensive sectors

8.2.1

Annual growth rate of real GDP per employed person

8.3

Promote development-oriented policies that support productive activities, decent job creation, entrepreneurship, creativity and innovation, and encourage the formalization and growth of micro-, small- and medium-sized enterprises, including through access to financial services

8.3.1

Proportion of informal employment in total employment, by sector and sex

8.4

Improve progressively, through 2030, global resource efficiency in consumption and production and endeavour to decouple economic growth from environmental degradation, in accordance with the 10-Year Framework of Programmes on Sustainable Consumption and Production, with developed countries taking the lead

8.4.1

Material footprint, material footprint per capita, and material footprint per GDP

8.4.2

Domestic material consumption, domestic material consumption per capita, and domestic material consumption per GDP

8.5

By 2030, achieve full and productive employment and decent work for all women and men, including for young people and persons with disabilities, and equal pay for work of equal value
8.5.1

Average hourly earnings of female and male employees, by occupation, age and persons with disabilities

8.5.2

Unemployment rate, by sex, age and persons with disabilities

8.6

By 2020, substantially reduce the proportion of youth not in employment, education or training
8.6.1

Proportion of youth (aged 15-24 years) not in education, employment or training

8.7

Take immediate and effective measures to eradicate forced labour, end modern slavery and human trafficking and secure the prohibition and elimination of the worst forms of child labour, including recruitment and use of child soldiers, and by 2025 end child labour in all its forms

8.7.1

Proportion and number of children aged 5‑17 years engaged in child labour, by sex and age

8.8

Protect labour rights and promote safe and secure working environments for all workers, including migrant workers, in particular women migrants, and those in precarious employment

8.8.1

Fatal and non-fatal occupational injuries per 100,000 workers, by sex and migrant status

8.8.2

Level of national compliance with labour rights (freedom of association and collective bargaining) based on International Labour Organization (ILO) textual sources and national legislation, by sex and migrant status

8.9

By 2030, devise and implement policies to promote sustainable tourism that creates jobs and promotes local culture and products

8.9.1

Tourism direct GDP as a proportion of total GDP and in growth rate

8.10

Strengthen the capacity of domestic financial institutions to encourage and expand access to banking, insurance and financial services for all

8.10.1

(a) Number of commercial bank branches per 100,000 adults and (b) number of automated teller machines (ATMs) per 100,000 adults

8.10.2

Proportion of adults (15 years and older) with an account at a bank or other financial institution or with a mobile-money-service provider

8.a

Increase Aid for Trade support for developing countries, in particular least developed countries, including through the Enhanced Integrated Framework for Trade-Related Technical Assistance to Least Developed Countries
8.a.1

Aid for Trade commitments and disbursements

8.b

By 2020, develop and operationalize a global strategy for youth employment and implement the Global Jobs Pact of the International Labour Organization

8.b.1

Existence of a developed and operationalized national strategy for youth employment, as a distinct strategy or as part of a national employment strategy

Goal 5

Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls

Goal 5

5.1

End all forms of discrimination against all women and girls everywhere

5.1.1

Whether or not legal frameworks are in place to promote, enforce and monitor equality and non‑discrimination on the basis of sex

5.2

Eliminate all forms of violence against all women and girls in the public and private spheres, including trafficking and sexual and other types of exploitation
5.2.1

Proportion of ever-partnered women and girls aged 15 years and older subjected to physical, sexual or psychological violence by a current or former intimate partner in the previous 12 months, by form of violence and by age

5.2.2

Proportion of women and girls aged 15 years and older subjected to sexual violence by persons other than an intimate partner in the previous 12 months, by age and place of occurrence

5.3

Eliminate all harmful practices, such as child, early and forced marriage and female genital mutilation
5.3.1

Proportion of women aged 20-24 years who were married or in a union before age 15 and before age 18

5.3.2

Proportion of girls and women aged 15-49 years who have undergone female genital mutilation/cutting, by age

5.4

Recognize and value unpaid care and domestic work through the provision of public services, infrastructure and social protection policies and the promotion of shared responsibility within the household and the family as nationally appropriate

5.4.1

Proportion of time spent on unpaid domestic and care work, by sex, age and location

5.5

Ensure women’s full and effective participation and equal opportunities for leadership at all levels of decision-making in political, economic and public life

5.5.1

Proportion of seats held by women in (a) national parliaments and (b) local governments

5.5.2

Proportion of women in managerial positions

5.6

Ensure universal access to sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights as agreed in accordance with the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development and the Beijing Platform for Action and the outcome documents of their review conferences

5.6.1

Proportion of women aged 15-49 years who make their own informed decisions regarding sexual relations, contraceptive use and reproductive health care

5.6.2

Number of countries with laws and regulations that guarantee full and equal access to women and men aged 15 years and older to sexual and reproductive health care, information and education

5.a

Undertake reforms to give women equal rights to economic resources, as well as access to ownership and control over land and other forms of property, financial services, inheritance and natural resources, in accordance with national laws

5.a.1

(a) Proportion of total agricultural population with ownership or secure rights over agricultural land, by sex; and (b) share of women among owners or rights-bearers of agricultural land, by type of tenure

5.a.2

Proportion of countries where the legal framework (including customary law) guarantees women’s equal rights to land ownership and/or control

5.b

Enhance the use of enabling technology, in particular information and communications technology, to promote the empowerment of women
5.b.1

Proportion of individuals who own a mobile telephone, by sex

5.c

Adopt and strengthen sound policies and enforceable legislation for the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls at all levels

5.c.1

Proportion of countries with systems to track and make public allocations for gender equality and women’s empowerment

Local organised bodies are capable of performing centralised operating services on behalf of women Bilum producers
Local support institutions/individuals are capable of providing business and export development services to the organised body and the women Bilum producers
International buyers are involved with women producers in developing their Bilum trade
Staff / Technical expertise
In-kind contribution
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False
Action Network
Small Island Developing States
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Timeline
01 January 2014 (start date)
01 January 2016 (date of completion)
Entity
International Trade Centre (ITC)
SDGs
8 5
Region
  1. Asia and Pacific
Countries
Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea
Contact Information

Vanessa Erogbogbo, Women & Trade Programme Manager, International Trade Centre (ITC)

erogbogbo@intracen.org