News

$4.1m boost for gender equality

June 30, 2025 12:09 pm

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance Professor Biman Prasad says the government has allocated $4.1 million to promote gender equality.

Speaking at the Budgeting for Women’s Leadership and Governance Transformation Panel this morning, Prasad says despite progress, women still hold only 25 percent of board director positions and just 9.1 percent of parliamentary seats.

He says these figures remain below regional averages.

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The Deputy Prime Minister says this gap is not merely a gender disparity but a governance challenge requiring sustained, united efforts.

Prasad says the government is committed to changing this through initiatives such as gender-responsive budgeting, which integrates a gender lens into public finance to ensure allocations meet the distinct needs of women and girls.

He says the budget will promote gender equality and empowerment, alongside support across ministries for women entrepreneurs, farmers, and leaders at all levels.

“We are very confident as a government that we are on the right path and we want to work with all the organization whether it’s FWCC or any other. We want to work with all of them.”

Prasad also called on women’s organizations to help women access available funding and resources, highlighting that empowering women is essential to achieving Fiji’s Vision 2050 of becoming a high-income nation.

He concluded by thanking women leaders nationwide for their resilience and advocacy, pledging the government’s ongoing support to address institutional barriers and social issues like gender-based violence.

 

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