Outcome WSM_D_1.1

By 2027, more people, especially those at risk of being left behind, contribute to and benefit from sustainable, resilient, diversified, inclusive and human-centred socio-economic systems with decent work and equal livelihoods opportunities, reducing inequalities and ensuring shared prosperity [PCF Strategic Priority 3: Prosperity]

This outcome is on track. In 2023, efforts to enhance the organization of Market Vendors Associations (MVAs) in marketplaces across Samoa and to bolster the capacity of market vendors and duty bearers became paramount. Collaborative partnerships between the interim MVAs, market administrators, and the Ministry of Women, Community, and Social Development (MWCSD) underscore a steadfast commitment to advancing decent work and equal livelihood opportunities while nurturing social cohesion within vendor communities. Rooted in a human-centered approach, these endeavors in Samoa's informal economic sector champion fairness, inclusivity, and empowerment for all stakeholders, laying a sturdy groundwork for the resilience and sustainability of marketplaces and the overall socio-economic landscape. The establishment and impending formalization of the first three interim Market Vendors Associations (MVAs) in Samoa, coupled with the increased representation of women in leadership positions, epitomize a human-centered approach to economic development. This transformation marks a paradigm shift in market dynamics, providing organized bodies to represent and advocate for women in the informal sector for the first time in Samoa. Prioritizing the needs, voices, and agency of women market vendors, these initiatives foster community, advocacy, and inclusivity, progressively contributing to building a more sustainable and resilient market ecosystem. By organizing themselves into associations, market vendors have gained collective bargaining power, enabling them to advocate for their interests more effectively and address marketplace challenges. This collective strength is essential for promoting sustainable practices and ensuring the long-term viability of the market ecosystem. Furthermore, the appointment of 16 women in leadership positions within interim Market Vendors Associations, representing 90 per cent of total positions, signals a shift in behavior—a departure from conventional practices where women vendors were formerly passive participants in the informal market economy. Diversified representation brings a broader range of perspectives, ideas, and strategies to address the needs and challenges faced by different groups within the informal sector, fostering inclusivity and innovation. By empowering women vendors to take on leadership roles and advocate for their interests, the socio-economic system in Samoa is progressively becoming more inclusive and equitable. Additionally, vendors now actively engage in decision-making and advocacy roles, increasingly influencing the determination of their own development outcomes through newly created platforms such as the Market Vendors Forum and the Project Working Committee. These initiatives have opened new pathways for increased women's voice and agency for decent work and equal livelihood opportunities. Institutions are recognizing the economic potential of women market vendors in Samoa, marking a change from traditional practices that overlooked or undervalued women's contributions. This potential is being realized through the capacitating of 102 women market vendors with enhanced business knowledge and skills. Acquiring skills in record-keeping, costing, pricing, marketing, finance, and technology, the women are transitioning from traditional financial practices to more informed and strategic business management and increased financial decision-making. This empowering process enables women market vendors to shape their economic futures and improve their livelihoods according to their aspirations and needs. Additionally, 61 women are transitioning their market vending businesses from informal to formal structures—signifying a recognition of the importance of formalization procedures and the need for compliance and efficiency in business operations. This progress in formalization procedures grants vendors access to legal protections, financial services, and market opportunities previously unavailable in the informal sector, thereby enhancing the sustainability and viability of their enterprises. Furthermore, the focus on capacitating women market vendors and enabling them to make informed financial decisions lies at the core of a human-centered approach. It acknowledges their agency and capabilities within the economic system, empowering them to shape their own economic futures and improve their livelihoods according to their aspirations and needs. A total of 366 women market vendors (rural, urban, semi-urban) across 3 markets in Samoa were reached to access information, education, key resources (finances, technological tools), services (including health and social assistance), and protective goods to advance their economic potentials and adaptiveness in crisis. This achievement has been made possible through a shift in the approach of service providers, who are now focusing on facilitating access and removing barriers. In 2023, two national service providers undertook immersive initiatives in financial and health services, embodying a human-centered service provision model. These initiatives involved stationing service providers at the markets for extended periods, departing from conventional finance and healthcare delivery methods. Instead, they adopted a proactive approach to enhance financial and health awareness and accessibility for vendors, making resources more accessible and effective, prioritizing the comfort and convenience of women market vendors. These targeted efforts provided a diverse range of services, products, and information tailored to address the specific challenges faced by women market vendors. One such challenge was the vendors' inability to spare time to visit service providers due to their marketing priorities. By providing access to essential healthcare services and skill-building opportunities, MVAs empower women to take control of their health and economic well-being, thereby enhancing their income security and economic autonomy. For the first time, market administrators in Samoa have gained an understanding of the vulnerabilities of markets to disasters and climate change. Comprehensive disaster risk assessments conducted are contributing to the shifts in behavior and attitudes towards disaster resilience at the markets, which have been sustained through a series of training in response to the assessment findings, empowering market vendors and community-based volunteers with life-saving skills. Collaborative efforts made between market administrators and nearby villages are, also for the first time, promoting occupational health and safety with a commitment to inclusive community involvement and cultural sensitivity. Local government representatives, marketplace duty bearers, and key stakeholders have experienced a transformative shift in their approach to development after training on Gender-Responsive Infrastructure where they gained valuable knowledge and insights, recognizing the pivotal importance of integrating gender considerations into construction and infrastructure design. This shift signifies a profound change in their mindset, actively embracing and prioritizing gender-responsive development. This change has become a catalyst for re-evaluating the foundations of development. Institutions and individuals are proactively reshaping their thinking to conscientiously prioritize the inclusivity and safety of women and girls in infrastructure development, marking a significant step towards a more gender-inclusive and safety-conscious approach to development. In parallel, the installation of CCTV cameras in markets represents a human-centered approach to enhancing security and surveillance, particularly benefiting women and girls. Prioritizing the safety and well-being of individuals within the market environment, this initiative instills a sense of security and trust, creating a more conducive and welcoming atmosphere for vendors and patrons alike.

By 2027, more people, especially those at risk of being left behind, contribute to and benefit from sustainable, resilient, diversified, inclusive and human-centred socio-economic systems with decent work and equal livelihoods opportunities, reducing inequalities and ensuring shared prosperity [PCF Strategic Priority 3: Prosperity]

In 2025, Samoa’s public markets demonstrated improvements in functioning as inclusive and resilient socio-economic systems, enabling 686 women in informal and climate-exposed livelihoods to access safer, more reliable, and more productive market environments, advancing SDGs 5 (Gender Equality), 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth), 10 (Reduced Inequalities) and 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities). Public markets in Samoa recorded a marked shift toward coordinated, gender-responsive governance, improving how hygiene, health, and operational services were delivered. Market authorities, sectoral institutions and Market Vendors Association (MVAs) worked as duty bearers, shaping day-to-day service delivery and ensuring women’s priorities influenced operational decisions. Contribution to inclusive socio-economic systems was evidenced through the active role of duty bearers, partners, and women’s representative organisations in shaping how market systems function in practice. Government market authorities and sectoral institutions coordinated service delivery, compliance, and public-health responses within markets, while Market Vendors Associations participated as recognised actors in operational governance and decision-making processes that influence safety standards, service prioritisation, and resource allocation. Through these arrangements, women vendors were engaged not only as service users but as contributors to market governance, collective problem-solving, and accountability mechanisms that underpin inclusive and resilient local economies. The functioning of multi-stakeholder coordination platforms and women-led representative bodies enabled women in informal livelihoods to exercise voice, leadership, and influence within economic systems that affect their work, thereby contributing to more inclusive, human-centred, and sustainable socio-economic environments. These improvements in market governance and service delivery were reinforced through the integration of digital operating systems within market environments, strengthening how women vendors interact with services, institutions, and customers on a routine basis. Digital access functioned as an enabling layer that reduced reliance on informal and cash-based processes, supported business continuity during disruptions, and expanded women’s ability to engage with systems essential to resilient and decent work. In Quarters 3–4, 220 women market vendors , gained routine, operational access to shared ICT infrastructure, enabling them to engage with digital registration processes, access online information and services, communicate with customers, and initiate or receive digital payments as part of everyday market activity. The integration of digital tools into daily operations strengthened efficiency, safety, and resilience, particularly during periods when in-person systems were constrained. The strengthening of digital operating systems also created practical entry points for women vendors to engage more consistently with formal financial and social protection systems that are typically difficult to access for informal workers. As digital confidence and access increased, women were better positioned to interact with institutions that support income security, risk management, and longer-term livelihood stability. Women vendors’ engagement with h the Samoa National Provident Fund translated into tangible improvements in financial inclusion. 59 vendors strengthened their ability to access and use gender-inclusive financial and social protection services, with 19 newly registered as members. Women demonstrated increased confidence in navigating digital service portals and understanding voluntary contributions, savings, and benefit entitlements, supporting greater financial autonomy and improved prospects for income security over time. Monitoring throughout 2025 showed sustained uptake of climate-resilient and diversified livelihood practices among women producers. These behavioural shifts strengthened resilience to climate variability, protected livelihoods and increased economic stability. Market-based health, safety, and protection services reduced barriers related to time, mobility, and stigma, and supported shifts in health-seeking behaviour, food safety compliance, and access to referral pathways. These changes strengthened women’s ability to participate in livelihoods with dignity, safety, and wellbeing, reinforcing markets as safer and more inclusive workplaces. Across all interventions, a deliberate Leaving No One Behind approach reduced structural barriers linked to informality, geography, disability, and limited access to services. By embedding services, goods, and operating systems directly within market environments, outcome-level benefits extended beyond formally affiliated vendors and supported more equitable participation in Samoa’s local economies. The outcome advances the Pacific United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework Pillar 3 on Prosperity, particularly Output 3.5.3 on strengthening financial inclusion strategies for small & medium enterprises and Output 3.4.2 on strengthened institutional capacities, mechanisms and policies to enhance equal opportunities for decent jobs and livelihoods. UN Women contributed to these outcome-level changes through financial and technical support under the Markets for Change programme in Samoa, with support from the Australian Government Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

By 2027, more people, especially those at risk of being left behind, contribute to and benefit from sustainable, resilient, diversified, inclusive and human-centred socio-economic systems with decent work and equal livelihoods opportunities, reducing inequalities and ensuring shared prosperity [PCF Strategic Priority 3: Prosperity]

This outcome is on track. Enhanced Economic Resilience and Decent Work Through Improved Market Structures In Samoa the structural improvements across three markets have fundamentally transformed vendors' economic resilience and working conditions, creating a comprehensive decent work environment for women’s economic empowerment. Economic Resilience Through Structural Improvements The holistic transformation of Samoa's market systems—encompassing governance reforms, skills development, and infrastructure modernization—directly strengthened vendors' economic resilience by: Enabling diverse business models: The skills training and support systems empowered 500 vendors to adopt family business models, diversifying income streams and reducing vulnerability to market fluctuations and economic shocks. This structural support framework enabled vendors to withstand seasonal variations and adapt to changing market conditions. Establishing formal pathways to economic advancement : The certification programs (75 financial literacy certifications and 25 Business Operations certificates) created recognized credentials that bridge the informal and formal sectors. This structural transformation enables market vendors to access higher education and formal employment opportunities previously unavailable to them. Expanding market reach beyond local boundaries : Infrastructure improvements and digital integration allowed 50 vendors to showcase their products at the CHOGM Trade Fair, creating sustainable pathways to larger markets and increased income stability. Building climate resilience into livelihoods : The 455 vendors implementing climate-smart agricultural techniques represent a structural shift toward sustainable production methods that protect livelihoods from environmental threats and market disruptions due to climate change. Digitalizing market operations : The introduction of Samoa's first digital marketplace with WiFi and QR code systems structurally transformed business operations, enabling vendors to reach wider customer bases, adopt e-payment systems, and participate in the digital economy. Decent Work Enhancement Through Improved Working Conditions The infrastructural and governance improvements directly address the four pillars of decent work: Employment opportunities : The modernized 498 vendor tables, 99 selling counters with storage, and 43 new shop units created more dignified, professional workspaces that enhance productivity and business growth potential. Rights at work : The formalization of Market Vendor Associations established legitimate platforms for collective representation, creating mechanisms for vendors to advocate for their rights and address workplace concerns. Social protection : On-site mobile health services directly addressed women vendors' time poverty and healthcare access barriers, creating a structural solution to ensure their wellbeing while maintaining their livelihoods. Social dialogue : The inclusion of 23 women in leadership positions and governance structures has transformed traditional market power dynamics from informal operations to formalized, women-led systems that promote equitable economic development and decision-making. Systemic Transformation Toward Sustainable Livelihoods The infrastructural improvements represent more than physical upgrades—they constitute a systemic transformation of the market ecosystem: The 10 disability access ramps have enabled inclusion, expanding economic opportunities for vendors and customers with disabilities who were previously excluded. The installation of weather-resistant tents and planned solar air-conditioning demonstrate a structural shift toward climate-resilient infrastructure that protects vendors' livelihoods from increasingly severe weather events. Enhanced emergency preparedness infrastructure with public announcement systems and fire alarms created a safer working environment, reducing the risk of catastrophic business losses. Improved sanitation facilities addressed a critical public health component of decent work, creating dignity and preventing illness-related income loss. These interconnected structural improvements have created a more inclusive, sustainable, and equitable market ecosystem that systematically addresses barriers to decent work and economic resilience, advancing the Pacific UNSDCF's prosperity pillar goals by establishing concrete pathways for sustainable livelihoods.