Outcome FIJ_D_2.4

Markets physical infrastructure and operating systems are improved to make them more sustainable, resilient to disaster risks and climate change, safer and more accessible

Highlights under this particular outcome for this reporting period included the completion of the Ba women’s accommodation centre upgrades and refurbishing and the groundbreaking ceremony for the Nausori market accommodation centre. The Nausori accommodation centre when completed, will be able to house at least 80 rural women at any one time and provide a safe and disability accessible space for the rural women who travel from the provinces of Rewa, Naitasiri, Tailevu including places as far as Rakiraki and Ba to come to the Nausori market to sell their produce. All the marketplace infrastructure development plan has been developed based on consultation with women and man market vendors. UN Women’s contribution was ensuring that its funded market project has been done in compliance with UNW Infrastructure Project Checklist and with the current Fiji Building Standard with the engineer approved and certified building plan to make the building and all upgrading works more resilient to the current climate change. UN Women had worked with the local government and council representatives to ensure work progressed with the Savusavu, Nausori, Levuka, and Kadavu markets.

Markets physical infrastructure and operating systems are improved to make them more sustainable, resilient to disaster risks and climate change, safer and more accessible

Marketplace safety is being improved through the Markets for Change project in Fiji, addressing issues such as personal safety and disaster risk resilience. Knowledge and understanding of disaster preparedness is being improved across markets as part of the implementation of Market Disaster Management Action Plans. In addition, relationship building by market management with external disaster management stakeholders, such as the National Disaster Management Office is continuing. To address barriers to gender-responsive infrastructure development, marketplace infrastructure projects are developed in consultations with women and men market vendors, including vendors with disabilities. In Fiji, close to 200 members of three Market Vendor Associations were consulted by UN Women for the design of their planned new market structures and associated accommodation centres. The perspectives and feedback from the market vendors will be a priority in the design of these structures. This has included vendor concerns around safety, security and accessibility. In 2022, two Category 5 cyclone-resistant women’s accommodation centres were officially opened in Fiji. The Nausori Women’s Accommodation Centre was officially opened in April 2022 and can accommodate 80 rural women vendors at a time, offering a secure location for women market vendors from several rural provinces. The newly refurbished Ba Market Women’s Accommodation centre that can house 50 rural women market vendors was officially opened in August 2022. Secure and safe marketplaces allow market vendors who travel long distances to markets to stay overnight to continue selling the next day. In the case if disasters strike, such as floods and cyclones, which occur frequently in Fiji, rural women market vendors will have a safe place to stay when away from their homes. UN Women provided financial and technical support through the Markets for Change project for improving market physical infrastructure and operating systems.