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]

This outcome is on track. In 2024, the Markets for Change programme in Samoa demonstrated transformative progress toward sustainable, inclusive socio-economic systems through a comprehensive approach that integrated individual empowerment, institutional strengthening and infrastructure modernization across the Salelologa, Fugalei and Savalalo markets. The initiative reached 1155 women(1% of Samoa's women population), creating pathways for economic empowerment through multiple interconnected strategies: building individual and household capacity that saw 500 women adopting family business models and 455 implementing climate-smart agricultural practices; strengthening market governance through formal Market Vendor Association (MVAs) led by 23 women executive members; establishing gender-responsive decision-making mechanisms that engaged 30 stakeholders(27 women,3 men)across government and markets; and modernizing market infrastructure with 498 vendor tables, digital systems and climate-resilient facilities. This systemic transformation created sustainable frameworks for women's economic participation, while ensuring accessibility through bilingual materials, traditional "talanoa" methods and mobile outreach services that help overcome time poverty barriers. These comprehensive changes show significant alignment with Samoa’s 5-Year National Plan titled “Pathway for the Development of Samoa” (2021-2026) aiming for Empowering Communities, Building Resilience, and Inspiring growth. Furthermore, it demonstrates progress toward the UNSDCF outcome of ensuring more people especially those at risk of being left behind, contribute to and benefit from sustainable, resilient, diversified, inclusive and human-centered socio-economic systems, by establishing concrete pathways for decent work, equal livelihood opportunities and shared prosperity across Samoa's market systems. The Markets for Change programme transformed 1155 women through a comprehensive approach that integrated economic empowerment with institutional strengthening. The work demonstrated how targeted interventions can create sustainable change by simultaneously addressing multiple dimensions: building individual capacity through skills training, transforming household dynamics(designed to give women a stronger family decision making role), strengthening market governance through formal vendor associations and enhancing market infrastructure with digital and physical improvements. The program's success in shifting power dynamics saw 60 women market vendors undertaking leadership roles, of which 23 women are members of MVA executive committees. This multi-faceted approach produced concrete results across financial inclusion, environmental sustainability and gender-responsive governance, with 75 women earning financial literacy certifications, and 25 achieving Level 2 Certificates in Business Operations from the Samoa Qualification Authority. This formal recognition created unprecedented pathways to higher education through the University of South Pacific, marking a systemic shift in educational accessibility for women in the informal sector. Furthermore, new economic pathways were created with 455 women transforming their agricultural practices through climate-smart techniques and 50 women vendors showcasing their products at the CHOGM Trade Fair. Through its rights-based gender-responsive approach the initiative created sustainable pathways for economic empowerment while dismantling structural barriers faced by marginalized women, catalysing transformative changes across individual, institutional and systemic levels that contribute significantly to the Pacific UNSDCF's prosperity pillar goals of creating equitable, sustainable and human-centered socio-economic systems. Protection and safety remained paramount with 75 women completing comprehensive occupational health &safety training that included protocols for addressing gender-based violence. Mobile outreach ensured access to support services, helping women overcome time poverty barriers and ensuring services reach those at risk of being left behind. In 2024, the formal establishment and strengthening of Market Vendor Associations marked a transformative shift in market governance, fundamentally altering traditional power dynamics and creating pathways toward inclusive economic systems. The emergence of women market vendor executive leaders, coupled with the official registration of the Fugalei MVA with government authorities and the development of constitutions across all three markets, strengthened institutional capacity and created sustainable frameworks for women's economic decision-making. This formalization created legitimate platforms through which women vendors now effectively engage with local government and market management, ensuring their perspectives directly influence decisions affecting their livelihoods. The establishment of protected spaces for collective advocacy reinforced women's fundamental right to economic independence, while demonstrating how enhanced institutional frameworks can normalize women's leadership in economic spaces. This transformation represents a fundamental shift from informal market operations to formalized, women-led governance systems that promote inclusive economic development. Cultural responsiveness meant bilingual training materials and traditional discussion methods for meaningful participation from both rural and urban vendors and ensuring no one was left behind while honouring cultural context. Systemic transformation in market governance was seen through strategic institutional capacity building that bridged duty bearer(government and market administrators) and rights holder(market vendor) interests through communication strategies and participatory decision-making processes. The program established robust mechanisms for gender-responsive decision-making by engaging 12 key representatives(10 women,2 men)from three government ministries and one state-owned enterprise in Project Management Committee meetings, while mobilizing 18 market stakeholders(17 women,1 man)through the Project Working Committee. The significant inclusion of women in these platforms ensures their voices and priorities are heard for actively shape policies and decisions. This strong representation fosters leadership development, empowering women to take on influential roles and build confidence to drive future governance transformations. Effectively this increases the likelihood that women-specific needs and challenges will be systematically integrated into market governance strategies. Furthermore, decisions made with such robust female representation are better positioned to address critical barriers faced by women market vendors, such as access to resources, safety and equitable opportunities, ultimately advancing gender-responsive governance. The transformation of Fugalei Market's infrastructure and operating systems demonstrated how targeted physical improvements can create sustainable, resilient socio-economic systems that ensure shared prosperity in Samoa. The initiative implemented comprehensive improvements, including 498 modernized vendor tables, 99 selling counters with storage, 43 new shop units and ten disability access ramps, while pioneering Samoa's first digital marketplace transformation through WiFi services & QR code systems. This modernization integrated multiple dimensions of sustainability: enhanced emergency preparedness infrastructure with public announcement systems, fire alarms for safety, planned solar air-conditioning units for environmental responsibility, weather-resistant tents for climate resilience and improved sanitation facilities for public health.