FDC Information Release: January 2010

Partners Improving Marketplaces Project: Piloting New Initiatives for “Empowerment of Women Vendors and Engendering Market Management in Melanesia”

The Foundation for Development Cooperation (FDC) has recently been contracted to undertake the second phase of UNIFEM Pacific’s Partnerships to Improve Markets project in Fiji, which will run from January to May 2010.

This project seeks to improve the social, economic and physical conditions of women market vendors and to encourage local governments and other bodies tasked with managing markets to adopt a gender responsive approach to marketplace planning, operations and governance. Women market vendors in the Pacific regularly experience a number of occupational problems including: lack of transport facilities to get themselves and their goods to and from the market; lack of basic facilities (e.g. toilets, shelter, water supply, clean surroundings); lack of safety and security measures to protect them; uncooperative local government authorities; outdated or vague regulations regarding market vendors and their rights; lack of organised vendor representation; lack of business development services for women vendors (i.e. microfinance and other services) and sometimes very primitive asset management and maintenance systems.This project will strengthen market women vendor’s economic security and rights by:

1. Providing recommendations for the development of a Fiji Market Improvement Handbook to guide the improvement of markets.

2. Reviewing existing market by-laws and developing recommendations for improvement through a participatory process with market stakeholders.

3. Assessing current asset management policies in existing markets and helping to develop enabling conditions for the diversification of market products.

4. Facilitating the adoption of gender responsive budgeting by local governments.

5. Facilitating the formation of rural women market vendors associations.

6. Assisting selected markets and stakeholders in preparing donor proposals for market improvements.

7. Contributing to national policies on market places as part of informal sector development.

Updates on this project will be available at: www.fdc.org.au

For further information please contact:
Ms. Luse Kinivuwai, Pacific Regional Representative, FDC - lusekinivuwai@fdc.org.au
Ms. Carly Stephan, Project Officer, FDC - carlystephan@fdc.org.au
Ms. Melanie Aube, Senior Operations Officer, FDC – melanieaube@fdc.org.au

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FDC Information Release: January 2010

Partners Improving Marketplaces Project: Piloting New Initiatives for “Empowerment of Women Vendors and Engendering Market Management in Melanesia”