The High-Level event is jointly organized by FAO, the Slovak Presidency of the Council of the European Union, and the European Commission, in close collaboration with IFAD, WFP, and UN Women.

This High-level Event represents a contribution to the call of UN Women to "Step It Up for Gender Equality". It will offer an interactive platform for Members, UN entities, the international community, civil society and other stakeholders to address the structural causes and consequences of gender inequality in rural areas.

It will provide the opportunity to identify the main challenges, gaps, opportunities and collaborative actions for unleashing the potential of rural women and girls to end food insecurity and poverty. Moreover, it will highlight what needs to be done differently to achieve the 2030 vision for rural women and girls.

Agenda

Roundtable I – Rural Women’s Economic Empowerment

• Agnes Quisumbing, Senior Research Fellow, International Food Policy Research Institute, IFPRI
• Jyoti Macwan, General Secretary of the Self Employed Women's Association, SEWA
• Carolina Trivelli, Senior Researcher, Institute for Peruvian Studies, IEP
• Her Excellency Taalaigul Isakunova, Minister for Labour and Social Development of Kyrgyzstan
• Maureen Kemunto Miruka, Director of Agriculture and Market Systems, Food and Nutrition Security Unit, CARE USA
• Steven Were Omamo, Deputy Director, Policy and Programme Division, World Food Programme, WFP

Session moderated by: Kostas Stamoulis, Assistant Director-General a.i., Economic and Social Development Department, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, FAO

Summary of the discussion of Roundtable I

• Address by Her Excellency María Ángela Holguín Cuéllar, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Colombia

Session moderated by: Marcela Villarreal, Director of Partnerships, Advocacy and Capacity Development, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, FAO

Roundtable II – Gender Transformative Approach to End Poverty, Hunger and Undernutrition

• Estrella Penunia, Secretary General of the Asian Farmers’ Association AFA 
• Mrs Fatimah Kelleher, Expertise on Women’s Rights, Wise Development
• Mrs Paola Cirillo, Vice President of the Italian Association for Women in Development
• Fatima Shabodien, Country Director of ActionAid South Africa
• Maria Hartl, Senior Technical Specialist Gender and Social Equity, International Fund for Agricultural Development, IFAD

Session moderated by: Margot Skarpeteig, Counsellor, Embassy of the Kingdom of Norway

Summary of the discussion of Roundtable II

Closing remarks from co-organizers (FAO, EU/Slovak)

• Roberto Ridolfi, Director for Sustainable Growth and Development, Directorate-General for International Cooperation
  and Development (DG DEVCO), European Commission
• Brave Ndisale, Director a.i. of the Social Policies and Rural Institutions Division, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations