Public Works Ministry and UN Women sign agreement to promote female employment in construction
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Minister Juan Carlos García explained that this is “a broad collaboration agreement with UN Women, mainly focused on generating employment for women within the Public Works Ministry and the companies that work with us, and on preventing gender violence, discrimination and sexual violence in all workplaces.”
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This agreement seeks to generate employment for women within the Public Works Ministry and the companies that work with it, as well as initiatives to prevent gender violence and discrimination in the workplace.
Last Thursday, Public Works Minister Juan Carlos García and Regional Director of UN Women for the Americas and the Caribbean, María-Noel Vaeza, signed a collaboration agreement, whereby the Public Works Ministry commits to promoting female employability in the different areas of its work, as well as supporting female entrepreneurship in the field of construction via various mechanisms.
Minister García explained that “this is a broad collaboration agreement with UN Women, mainly focused on generating employment for women within the Public Works Ministry and the companies that work with us, and on preventing gender violence, discrimination and sexual violence in all workplaces, whether in our offices or in the field where our works are carried out, whether this involves our employees or workers of contractor companies, without discrimination”.
The agreement also establishes other areas of joint work, such as the empowerment of women within the ministry and providing budgets for public investment initiatives with a gender focus.
The agreement with UN Women seeks to expand the participation of women in construction. According to International Labour Organization figures, only 7% of those working in this field are women. “At the Public Works Ministry, we know that it is a complex task and we still have a long way to go. We are far from reaching parity, with women currently representing less than 35% of our staff. The challenge is for everyone, and we must move forward together”, stated Minister García.
Regional Director of UN Women for the Americas and the Caribbean, María-Noel Vaeza, commented, “I like concrete actions to generate female employment in construction, to ensure that women who want to work can have access to training. In other countries, I have been told that the women who have been incorporated into construction have been admirably meticulous, use less materials and arrive at the site in a timely manner”.
Source: Public Works Ministry