CFS50 Side Event - The power of gender transformative approaches: addressing discriminatory social norms to improve food security and nutrition for all

Gender transformative approaches represent an alternative and a complement to conventional gender approaches to more consciously and intentionally address the underlying causes of inequalities, food insecurity and malnutrition, paying close attention to discriminatory social and gender norms that lie at the center of gender inequalities.

This side event during the 50th Session of the Committee on World Food Security (CFS50) will highlight the relevance of addressing discriminatory social norms to improve food security and nutrition for all through the power of gender transformative approaches, in line with SDG 2 and SDG 5. It will emphasize the importance of understanding and addressing unequal gender norms to ensure transformative change in the lives of women and girls, men and boys.

Speakers will showcase concrete examples of inter-institutional work implemented by the United Nations Rome-based Agencies under the EU-RBA Joint Programme on Gender Transformative Approaches for Food Security and Nutrition (JP GTA) in Ecuador and Malawi as well as by other development actors, such as Global Affairs Canada and UN Women. They will present concrete tools and strategies that can support the implementation of national policies, strategies and global policy guidelines to identify and transform discriminatory gender norms.

The event is co-organized by FAO, IFAD, WFP and the European Union (in the framework of the JP GTA) with the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock of Ecuador, Global Affairs Canada, CARE International and UN Women.

Tuesday, 11 October 2022  ---  8.30-9.45 CEST (Rome)

Virtual / Zoom

The event will be conducted in English with simultaneous interpretation in Arabic, Chinese, French, Spanish and Russian

Biographies

Marta Berggren

Deputy Director, Gender Equality in Multilateral and Thematic Policy, Global Affairs Canada

Marta Berggren is the Deputy Director for Gender Equality in Multilateral and Thematic Policy at Global Affairs Canada. She has worked at Canadian offices around the world, including in Central America, East Africa, Southeast Asia, and Northern Europe, and has represented and engaged on behalf of Canada at all levels, including as Chargé d’Affaires, on a variety of subjects ranging from high profile consular cases to bilateral political relationships. Ms. Berggren now leads a team of gender policy analysts to provide strategic and thematic policy advice based on Canada’s Feminist International Assistance Policy.

Elizabeth Burges-Sims

Senior Gender Advisor, WFP

Elizabeth (Liz) joined the WFP Gender Office in July 2021. Prior to this, she worked with the Asian Development Bank as the Gender Team Lead for Southeast Asia, at the Caribbean Development Bank as one of two Gender Specialists covering the full portfolio of projects, and with the Government of Canada where she held the positions of Senior Private Sector Development Specialist, Education Team Lead on diplomatic assignment to Mozambique, and Gender Team Lead for Sub-Saharan Africa. As Senior Gender Advisor, Liz will be heavily engaged in the development and implementation of WFP’s new ambitious gender policy, and in supporting technical units, Regional Bureaux and Country Offices to advance WFP’s commitments towards gender equality.

Carlos Santiago Chango Uñog

Undersecretary for Family Farming, Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock of Ecuador

Carlos Santiago Chango Uñog is the first Indigenous Ecuadorian to graduate from Harvard University. From the moment he entered, he felt a great moral responsibility to give back what he has received and to contribute to the Chibuleo community's progress and wellbeing. His master's degree in Public Administration in International Development began in August 2006 and ended in June 2008. Carlos is co-founder and general manager of 'iChasky', an Ecuadorian social enterprise that seeks to improve the world by training people who, believing in themselves, achieve their dreams. Among his main areas of work in his current role as Undersecretary of Family and Rural Agriculture, he has prioritized the implementation of the National Agricultural Strategy for Rural Women (ENAMR). 

Renate Hahlen

Deputy Permanent Representative, EU Delegation in Rome

Renate Hahlen, Minister Counsellor, is the Deputy Head of Delegation of the European Union to the Holy See, Order of Malta, UN Organisations in Rome and the Republic of San Marino. She heads the UN section since 2018. Prior to Rome she was Development Counsellor at the EU Delegation Washington D.C., responsible for the EU relations with the US, World Bank Group, IMF and Inter-American Development Bank; she also represented the EU as a member in the International Cotton Advisory Committee, headquartered in D.C. She regularly spoke at think tanks and universities across the US on EU external policies. An EU official since 1996, she has extensive experience in EU external action and development policy. At the European Commission headquarters she managed the Aid & Development Effectiveness and Financing unit, in the Directorate General International Cooperation and Development (DEVCO). She steered the coordination with the EU Member States as donors and organised senior level meetings of the Director General (EU DGs meetings), and contributed to relevant multilateral financing for development and aid effectiveness processes and to developing related common EU positions (UN system, OECD). Before, she worked on EU external relations with Algeria, Jordan, Vietnam and Laos and held positions in the German federal ministry for international cooperation and development (bilateral and international debt strategies for developing countries, relations with IMF and WB; EU department). She studied in Germany, Switzerland and Turkey, graduated in law (1^st and 2^nd State Exam) and holds a PhD in international private and comparative law of the university of Freiburg/ Germany. She is the mother of two grown-up sons.

Billy Molosoni

Gender Justice and Advocacy Lead, CARE International in Malawi

An experienced gender and social development specialist with more than 15 years practical experience in gender transformative programme management (gender analysis, design, implementation and monitoring and evaluation). He is also skilled integrating  gender, youth and social inclusion issues in development, advocacy and humanitarian programs and project.   This experience has been cumulatively gained from a background of working with both international and local non-governmental organizations like, OXFAM, CARE, Malawi Government-European Union funded Income Generating Public Works Programme, Action Against Hunger, Anti-Corruption Bureau and the Story Workshop. As a gender communications specialist and creative writer, Billy has to his credit more than 200 Pakachere and Story Workshops radio plays on gender, that were aired on Malawi’s national broadcasting houses.  He has used these stories to facilitate debate and reflection of gender power relations and other social change issues. Billy was the Lead Researcher for the JP-GTA funded Social Norms Diagnostics on Women and Youth VSL Members’ Access to Formal Financial Services and Products in Malawi.

Jemimah Njuki

Chief, Women’s Economic Empowerment, UN Women

Dr. Jemimah Njuki is the Chief of the Economic Empowerment section at UN Women. She is a recognized leader on gender equality and women's empowerment, having directed global initiatives promoting women's economic empowerment. Jemimah previously worked at the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) as the Director for Africa, where she worked with African governments and key stakeholders to develop evidence for transformative policy change. She has spent the last two years leading the UN Food Systems Summit's Gender Equality and Women's Empowerment Lever of Change and was instrumental in establishing the Coalition to Make Food Systems Work for Women and Girls. Additionally, she led the design and deployment of the Global Food 5050, an indicator and mechanism for gender responsibility for organizations engaged in global food systems. She has led the gender equality work with the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) including the design of the Growth and Economic Opportunities for Women (GRoW), the Women in Agriculture programme at CARE USA, and the Poverty, Gender and Impact programme at the International Livestock Research Institute.

Máximo Torero

Chief Economist, FAO

Mr. Maximo Torero Cullen is the Chief Economist of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). He joined the Organization in January 2019 as Assistant Director-General for the Economic and Social Development Department. Prior to joining FAO, he was the World Bank Group Executive Director for Argentina, Bolivia, Chile Paraguay, Peru and Uruguay since November 2016 and before the Bank Mr. Torero led the Division of the Markets, Trade, and Institutions at the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI). His major research work lies mostly in analyzing poverty, inequality, importance of geography and assets (private or public) in explaining poverty, and in policies oriented towards poverty alleviation based on the role played by infrastructure, institutions, and on how technological breakthroughs (or discontinuities) can improve the welfare of households and small farmers. His experience encompasses Latin America, Sub-Saharan Africa, and Asia.

Emily Wylde

Senior Technical Specialist (Social Inclusion - Poverty Targeting), IFAD

Emily Wylde is a Senior Technical Specialist (Targeting and Social Inclusion) at IFAD where she has recently joined the Environment, Climate, Gender and Social Inclusion team. She is an economist, and prior to joining IFAD she focused for many years on  the social protection sector, with an emphasis on how to design and implement gender transformative programmes.