In the framework of the Bridge to Development Strategy, and with the objective of promoting employment and the empowerment of women living in poverty and socioeconomic vulnerability in the canton of Puntarenas, the Government of Costa Rica and the United Nations System opened a call to support socio-productive projects of women in the Canton of Puntarenas .
The community groups of the canton of Puntarenas will be able to participate from now until November 8, for a financing grant of up to $ 10 thousand non-reimbursable (seed capital) for projects with a gender and environmental approach, such as initiatives that enhance the economic autonomy for women, generation of green jobs, innovation and the responsible use of natural resources and the protection of biodiversity.
"In this context of a COVID-19 pandemic where women have been more affected by unemployment and economic decline, this is an opportunity for women in Puntarenas to access resources to promote their productive ideas, generate employment and ensure their empowerment. We want to support women to overcome the gap and inequality that has affected them for a long time, ”said Allegra Baiocchi, UN Resident Coordinator in Costa Rica.
According to data from the National Institute of Statistics and Census (INEC), the effects of the COVID-19 emergency present a greater impact on women. An example of this is that, for the second quarter of 2020, the employment rate for men was 59.2%, while that of women was 34.1%. Likewise, the net participation rate of women in the labor force went from 52.1% in the first quarter of 2020 to 44.6% in the second quarter of the same year; decreasing by 7.5% compared to 4.2% of men.
It is in this context that the Joint Program: Strengthening the Bridge to Development Strategy (PC) , with the support of the Joint Institute for Social Aid (IMAS) and participating UN agencies: UNDP, FAO, ILO and UN Women, urge to the groups of the community bases to apply for these possibilities.
For Juan Luis Bermúdez, Minister of Human Development and Social Inclusion “The social and economic effects of this pandemic weigh more heavily on the most vulnerable households, and within them those led by women. In such a way, that the joint response of the United Nations and the Government of the Republic, prioritizes generating conditions of dignity, economic autonomy and equal rights as a basis for social recovery and reactivation ”.
In this first phase, the canton of Puntarenas was selected, as it is located in the Central Pacific region; which presents the highest level of poverty, increasing from 29.8% in 2019 to 34.7% in 2020, and where extreme poverty reached 11.3% in 2020, growing by 2.2 pp compared to 2019.
"Human development will register a decline since its first measurement in 1990. It is critical to concentrate efforts in the areas most affected by the pandemic, accelerate the empowerment of women and face environmental degradation in order to better recover and face poverty" said José Vicente Troya Rodríguez, Resident Representative of UNDP, the lead agency in the implementation of the PC.
To participate in the convocation of the Joint Program, interested women's organizations must prepare a profile of their socio-productive initiative following the guidelines in this link (click here). If you have any questions, you can write to convocatoria.sdgf [at] undp.org (convocatoria[dot]sdgf[at]undp[dot]org).