A handover ceremony was held in Samoa last week to deliver key assets aimed at improving the safety and resilience of Samoa’s three main markets, Fugalei, Savalalo, and Salelologa. Under the Markets for Change (M4C) programme, a partnership led by UN Women.
The donated tools included wheelie bins, water blasters, and fire extinguishers, and were handed over to the Accident Compensation Corporation (ACC), Ministry of Lands and Survey (MLS), and the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries (MAF), which oversee the three markets respectively.
The initiative is part of M4C Phase II and supports cleaner and safer public marketplaces. The M4C programme aims to improve the working conditions and economic opportunities for women market vendors across the Pacific. It is delivered in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and is funded by the Australian Government through the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, in collaboration with the Government of Samoa.
In her remarks, Australia’s Deputy High Commissioner to Samoa, H.E. Claire McGeechan, said the markets are more than just places of trade. They represent community and culture. She reaffirmed Australia’s support for Samoa’s goals of economic empowerment for women from village-level sellers to city market vendors.
M4C operates in Fiji, Samoa, Solomon Islands, and Vanuatu, bringing together governments, market vendor associations, and civil society organisations to improve market infrastructure and governance, while promoting gender equality and economic resilience.
This article is based on a public post shared by UN Women Pacific, with additional context from the Australian High Commission, Samoa.
