Australia is supporting safer and more inclusive municipal markets across Fiji with new security and communications equipment valued at FJD 146,343.47 through the Markets for Change programme.
The equipment includes 50 CCTV cameras, eight LED display screens and two public address systems, which will be deployed across eight municipal markets to improve security monitoring, communication and emergency response.
The markets benefiting from the upgrades are Namaka, Labasa, Ba, Rakiraki, Nausori, Tavua, Levuka and Savusavu.
Fiji’s Minister for Housing and Local Government, Maciu Katamotu Nalumisa, officially received the equipment on behalf of the Fiji Government at a handover ceremony in Suva. He was joined by Australia’s Deputy High Commissioner to Fiji, Elizabeth Petrovic, and UN Women Deputy Representative Eri Taniguchi.
Nalumisa said the initiative went beyond providing security equipment, describing the investment as a way of strengthening confidence and community connections.
“We are not just handing over cameras, screens, and speakers. We are handing over confidence, connection, and community strength,” he said.
The new CCTV network is expected to strengthen collaboration between municipal councils and the Fiji Police Force, supporting crime prevention, monitoring and faster responses to incidents.
The initiative has a particular focus on women market vendors, for whom municipal markets are an important source of income and economic opportunity. Improved security is intended to help address concerns around theft, violence and harassment and create safer environments for women to work and operate businesses.
UN Women said safer markets can also contribute to women’s economic empowerment by enabling vendors to work without fear, expand their businesses, take on leadership roles and make decisions about their futures with greater confidence.
The Markets for Change (M4C) programme promotes gender equality and the economic empowerment of women market vendors across the Pacific. It brings together governments, market vendors and associations, civil society organisations and UN agencies.
M4C Phase II is implemented by UN Women in partnership with UNDP, with support from the governments of Australia and Canada.
The handover brought together Fiji’s Ministry of Local Government, the Australian High Commission, UN Women, municipal councils, the Fiji Police Force and Market Vendors Associations, reflecting a joint effort to make Fiji’s municipal markets safer and more welcoming for vendors, customers and communities.
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