Speaking to the trillions of dollars needed in infrastructure investment to achieve the Global Goals, Ms. Faremo championed innovation and looking to new ways of getting the job done.

“At UNOPS, we have developed manuals for our infrastructure projects that take care of experience and incorporate sustainability and gender sensitivity. We cooperate with many, but not least with the University of Oxford, to increase our knowledge and pioneer the future,” she noted. 

Ms. Faremo provided examples of UNOPS projects where our work benefitted both women and men, providing not only access to gender-sensitive sanitation and health facilities, but in turn creating more economic opportunities for women through an inclusive and resilient approach to infrastructure planning, design and delivery.

At the side event, ‘Social protection, public services and sustainable infrastructure: Policy coherence for the empowerment of women in informal employment,’ Ms. Faremo also referred to UNOPS reconstruction of a market in Bossaso, Somalia.

“UNOPS engaged with 2,000 male and female entrepreneurs in the design and planning of the market to ensure it met the needs of the end user, ” she said.

In addition to UN Women’s Executive Director, Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, Ms. Faremo was joined by a high-level representative from the United Nations Development Programme and civil society organizations.

Read Ms. Faremo’s full remarks here.