Does the Zero Draft appropriately capture the main challenges and barriers that hinder progress in achieving gender equality and the full realization of women’s and girls’ rights in the context of food security and nutrition? If not, what do you think is missing or should be adjusted?
The draft captures the main challenges and barriers that hinder achievement of gender equality. However, it is important to:
Include pregnant women and young adolescent girls in the group of women and girls at heightened risk of gender-based violence.
To truly achieve gender equality, we must expand to non-binary gender to include LGBTQ+ who also face discrimination in food systems.
Include educational goals for orphans and vulnerable children in developing countries. These should be assessed at a national level. In many developing countries, agriculture can be the primary means of employment for the vast majority of the population. When the family unit is disrupted, many of these children, including girls, lose their opportunity to learn basic farming skills.
Ensure the guidelines are supported by data and evidence throughout to increase credibility. E.g. Par. 102 indicates, Agriculture is one of the most hazardous occupations given exposure to agrochemicals, machines and equipment and livestock care. This is not backed by evidence. Further review and discussion is required.
Does Part 2 of the Zero Draft satisfactorily reflect the core principles which should underpin the Guidelines? If not, how do you propose to improve these principles?
The core principles are satisfactorily covered. However, these should be reflected throughout the guidelines. Particularly, with reference to human rights, it is important that the guidelines recognize the rights of non-binary gender.
To be consistent with other CFS products, it is important to recognise agroecological approaches alongside other innovative approaches as important contributors to sustainable agricultural production. Par. 93 should therefore include other innovative approaches.
Do the nine sections of Part 3 of the Zero Draft comprehensively cover the policy areas to be addressed to achieve gender equality and the full realization of women’s and girls’ rights in the context of food security and nutrition? If not, what do you think is missing?
To enhance access to financial services, mechanisms should be put in place to offer education and training to financial service providers to ensure the needs of women are embedded in financial products. Access to banking services that ensure women directly receive payment for their agricultural production is essential. Savings accounts are needed, as is affordable micro-credit, insurance and access to opportunities in the value chain. Financial decision makers, who are mostly men, can play a critical role in changing financial policies that discriminate women.
Social protection programs to include provision of access to proper maternal health services for women and focus particularly on nutrition for the first 1000 days of mother and child. Include improvement of women’s, adolescent girls’ and children’s nutritional status as an explicit goal and expected outcomes of agriculture, food and nutritional security-related programmes, strategies and policies.
Does Part 4 of the Zero Draft provide all the elements necessary for effective implementation and monitoring of the use and application of the Guidelines? If not, what do you propose to add or change?
Training is crucial to raising awareness of the guidelines and promoting their uptake. Knowledge exchange, technology transfer and information sharing can promote greater uptake.
It is important to develop indicators that will help measure the success of the guidelines.
السيدة Irina Wandera