Fiji’s Minister for Women, Children and Poverty Alleviation, Hon. Rosy Akbar held talks this week in New York with Japan’s Representative to the 59th Commission on the Status of Women (CSW), Ms. Hiroko Hashimoto.
Held at the Fiji UN Permanent Mission in New York, the meeting provided the Minister the opportunity to express appreciation to Japan for financing women’s innovative projects in Fiji. She said that these projects would promote accessibility to social justice, child protection, gender equality and the economic empowerment of women. The Minister highlighted in particular Japan’s assistance for the Ba Women's Forum and it’s likewise support to the Ministry for Women under the JICA volunteer program.
Discussions covered potential areas for future cooperation and engagement, including the possible financing of women’s small and medium enterprise, with emphasis on what could be done at the micro level to assist women below the poverty level in Fiji.
Minister Akbar said that Fiji’s Ministry of Women, Children and Poverty Alleviation is keen to scope the new areas of cooperation with Japan, as women are disadvantaged and often do not have collateral as surety for loans. She reiterated that strengthened collaboration to initiate more programs for women empowerment would change the social landscapes for women, families and communities in the country.
Ms. Hashimoto said that the gender issue is a key area that Japan is progressing under its developmental assistance agenda, with a Gender Equality Bureau now based at Japan’s Cabinet Office.