Global Forum on Food Security and Nutrition (FSN Forum)

Re: Consultation for the development of the CFS Voluntary Guidelines on Gender Equality and Women’s and Girls’ Empowerment in the Context of Food Security and Nutrition

Please see some inputs from colleagues for consideration, based on their review of the CFS GEWE FSN 2021 Zero Draft as open for final consultation.

PART 3

3.1 Women participation, voice and decision-making:

  • It is good to note that efforts are being made towards enhancing women participation and their ability to contribute to various decisions at all levels.
  • where possible should also ensure that men and boys are involved and seen as essential across all policies and programmes, dialogue, design, implementation and monitoring of activities as this would help to create an enabling environment through which women participation can be improved. For instance any SBC related interventions can help to address these dynamics.
  • As more interventions are directed towards women and girls, care must be taken to avoid burden women. Desired interventions must therefore not create, exacerbate or contribute to gender inequalities or discrimination, and must mitigate the risk of GBV

3.3 Access to education, capacity building, training, knowledge and information services

3.3.2 Access to advisory and extension services

  • As we think through gender-responsive and transformative rural advisory services, it is important to highlight the role that digital innovation can play in this area. With the increase of smart mobile devices, these can be leveraged to share advisory information on prices and climate alongside other innovative approaches that can be adopted.

3.3.3 Access to financial services and social capital

Also important if to provide women with financial literacy opportunities.



3.7 Recognition, reduction and redistribution of unpaid care and domestic work

Also need to ensure that redistributing unpaid care work does no harm to dependents.



3.8 Women and men’s ability to make strategic choices for healthy diets and good nutrition

Suggest rephrase point 118, to not be repetitive re specifying micronutrients.

Point 119: Suggest to also highlight that malnutrition in pregnancy also risks safe delivery for the women themselves.



PART 4

4.3 Monitoring the use and application of the guidelines

Beyond monitoring the use and application of the guidelines, it would also be useful for planned evaluations around how the use of these guidelines and the various activities prescribed in them contribute to the different specified and desired outcomes.