Women's Economic Empowerment Driving Sustainable Development in SIDS

UN Women and its partners believe that women's economic empowerment is a catalyst and prerequisite for sustainable development. Enhancing women's economic development can boost the economic growth in SIDS, promote social development for women and the entire population, cushion climate change impacts, and help reduce poverty levels. This partnership will strengthen the economic security of marginalised women in the Pacific. The partnership is made of up two programmes that have already helped to increase women's access to finance and economic security, as well safer, more inclusive, non-discriminatory and sustainable public market spaces.



The partnership began with the Port Moresby Safe City for Women and Girls Programme. This programme is part of a global initiative aimed at making public spaces safe for women and girls. In Papua New Guinea (PNG) the programme focuses on urban marketplaces, the most populated public spaces in the capital city, where women and girls often experience intense and varied forms of discrimination, particularly gender-based violence. The Safe City programme aims at making markets safe, clean and inclusive.



Since its launch, the programme has had major achievements including helping market vendors open special mobile phone accessible bank accounts with Nationwide Micro-bank, which allow bank their daily earnings, reducing the risk of robbery and assault. In Gerehu market, changes to security contracts and the refurbishment of the toilet block, including separation of male and female toilets, installation of running water and heightened visibility for those entering the facilities, has led to women and girls feeling safer and less vulnerable to sexual and gender-based violence. Additionally, UN Women has used better practices and lessons learned from the Safe City programme to develop a regional initiative in Fiji, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu called the Markets for Change (M4C).



M4C builds on the Safe City programme experiences, as well as local initiatives and entry points for change identified by country specific initiatives. The programme capitilises and builds on UN Women's existing relationships with local partners throughout the Pacific and puts particular emphasis on rural women. The programme's objectives are to ensure that urban and rural markets contribute to sustinable development.



Since its establishment M4C has resulted in more than 150 Solomon Island market vendors opening bank accounts, most for the first time. This is a signifcant step in expanding marginalised women's access to finance and incorporating their economic potential into the wider economy. In Fiji, the M4C programme partnership resulted in the construction of 42 new market stalls and construction of a fence around the market infrastructure in Sigatoka. This provided market vendors with protection from weather conditions and has increased security for over 700 market vendors, who were previously vulnerable to theft. Additionally, installation of water storage tanks in Tavua, Fiji, along with improvements to drainage systems, has helped to provide vendors with water reserves and sanitation facilities for use during flooding and regular water disruptions.



In the Pacific region between 75 and 90% of market vendors are women. UN Women's strategy for women's economic empowerment, has a specific focus on market women, and recognises that economic growth in SIDS is often uneven and particularly vulnerable to disaster-related shocks. There are also insufficient formal sector job opportunities to absorb the emergent labour marketer. The partnership, represented in these two programmes, demonstrates how government, the private sector and international community can work together to address these issues and improve the lives of women and their families in SIDS.