Action plan to empower women
A NATIONAL action plan for women’s economic empowerment is being developed to be launched next year.
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Tourism Viliame Gavoka announced the development and adoption of the Women’s Economic Empowerment National Action Plan (WEE-NAP) while officiating as chief guest at the International Women’s Day celebrations in Suva last week.
“I am pleased to inform you that Cabinet approved the development of the WEE-NAP last month,” he said.
“The National Women’s Machinery aims to have this plan ready before the end of this year.”
Mr Gavoka said WEE-NAP would align with investment and focus on gender-responsive budgeting across all sectors.
Key elements of the Fiji WEENAP (2024-2029) would include policy and legal frameworks, education and training, access to financial resources, challenging social norms and attitudes, prevention of gender-based violence, technology and innovation, access to infrastructure and insurance.
It will recognise, reduce and redistribute unpaid work and unpaid care work, as well as the visibility, collective voice and representation of women as leaders and decisionmakers.
The action plan would also provide access to sexual reproductive health and rights (SRHR) and gender-responsive climate disaster mitigation and risk reduction.
“On behalf of the Fiji Government, I wish the National Women’s Machinery the very best, and we hope that come the next International Women’s Day, the WEE-NAP will be all set for roll-out.”
Minister for Women Lynda Tabuya told this newspaper that too often the narrative goes that women in rural areas and maritime islands were faced with poverty.
“The poverty is right in the Central Division and in our urban settings,” she said.
“A lot of these women live in informal settlements where there are not enough essential services, struggling with the very high cost of living, and they need to be empowered economically.”