Amina Mohammed joined Qu Dongyu to discuss gender equality and celebrate Africa Day
25 May 2021, Rome – Today’s virtual tea by the FAO Women’s Committee celebrated its First Anniversary and Africa Day with FAO Director-General QU Dongyu and a special guest – Amina J. Mohammed, Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations and Chair of the United Nations Sustainable Development Group, who spoke about her life and vision of a world where women are empowered, and no one is left behind.
Along with Mohammed and Qu, nearly 300 FAO employees – women and men – from all corners of the world participated in the virtual tea.
The informal get-together was launched by the FAO Women’s Committee on 30 March 2020 to give FAO employees a platform to connect, share views and experiences on life during the pandemic, and explore – with special guests – wide-ranging topics, from career development, gender equality to science and ethical fashion.
Twenty get-togethers and more cups of tea later, the event has morphed - as Qu put it – into a celebration of “women’s diversity and achievements from all walks of life - gastronomy, science, diplomacy - to showcase innovative actions that can empower women and girls”.
Today’s guest, Mohammed, has travelled a long and uncharted path - from designer of schools and clinics, the Minister of Environment in Nigeria to Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations.
Asked how she got where she is today, Mohammed spoke passionately about her journey, sprinkling her speech with inspiring advice and reflections.
On life journey - “No matter the curve ball that is thrown at you, stand up and survive…Everyone has got a story; everyone has a path. Once you are born into the world, that path you can help to shape it,” said Mohammed as she described herself as resilient, tolerant, the eldest of five girls who learnt about responsibility early on and has never dropped it since, and now a mother of six and also a grandmother of two – the “job” she is most proud of.
On work - “I don’t see my job as work…No matter what I’ve done in life, I have not taken it as a job…Learn on the job…Talk from what you know, what you experienced. You have to experience it to be able to know it.”
On being a woman – “I have never used the fact that we are an oppressed group, excluded group, the lack of justice. All those things we know that we carry as women never use it as a crutch. You have to use it as a weapon…There is 50 percent of the world who are not there, and they need to be there…Use the power of a woman in whatever situation that you find…You can shape the future.”
Mohammed’s vision to build and strengthen women’s rights and to leave no one behind? Put rights at the center, and let women lead, together with men.
“When you got women empowered, they don’t leave people behind,” stressed Mohammed.
Mohammed also spoke about the opportunity the COVID-19 pandemic presents to build back better, and make the response we have now the very best that it is in all areas – from financing to food systems. On the latter, Mohammed expressed her appreciation for FAO Director-General’s support to the United Nations Food Systems Summit.
Mohammed also thanked Qu – the founder of the FAO Women’s Committee - for being an advocate of and opening spaces for women. “This kind of forum that the FAO Director-General encouraged is going a long way to strengthen all of us,” she said.
For his part, Qu thanked Mohammed for her energetic and heartfelt speech, and invited her to speak to youth and women at the upcoming World Food Forum in October.
Qu reiterated the need for gender-equality to achieve a world free from hunger and malnutrition.
“We all have a part to play and a lot to gain in making this happen,” he said.
Reflecting on Africa Day, Qu noted that agriculture was Africa’s most important economic sector, and women represented about half of the labor force.
“Women are the backbone of the rural world and family. We must advocate for their better representation in decision-making processes, their education and capacity building, as well as for equal access to resources, services and opportunities,” urged Qu.
Closer to home, Qu declared himself a staunch advocate for gender parity and equality in the workplace. To walk the talk, he underlined some of FAO’s recent achievements in this area: a new Policy on Gender Equality, aimed at strengthening women’s empowerment, and a more modern parental leave policy, with increased paternity leave.
“Gender equality, diversity and inclusion are high on the FAO agenda,” underscored Qu.
Wrapping up the event, Maria Helena Semedo, FAO Deputy-Director General and Chair of the Women’s Committee, and Marcela Villarreal, FAO Director of Partnerships and UN Collaboration, the Women’s Committee Vice Chair and moderator of today’s virtual tea, discussed with participants how to shape the Committee’s work.