2019 Commission on the Status of Women

2019 Commission on the Status of Women
General Debate

 

Madam Chair Person, Excellencies, Ladies and Gentleman,

• Three quarters of the poor and chronically undernourished reside in rural areas. They are family farmers, fishers and foresters dependent on agriculture and natural resources. Women represent 45% of the rural labor force and yet, compared to men, they often face greater constraints to access to social protection and financial services, infrastructure, markets or innovative technologies and practices.
• Rural women are disadvantaged for several reasons:If social protection programmes are properly designed they reduce gender gaps in greater access to health, food and education, productive resources and assets. It can also boost rural women’s self -esteem and voice in intra-household decision-making and promote their participation in social networks.
  • First, due to socio-cultural norms and inequalities in access to productive resources, services, and opportunities;
  • Second, rural women work in low wage jobs, have informal work arrangements, and work in difficult or dangerous working conditions.
  • Third, Social Protection programmes that do not always consider gender constraints can exacerbate the vulnerability for rural women and their families and deepen gender inequalities.
• FAO is committed to maximize the impact of social protection by building and strengthening nationally owned social protection systems that are integrated in broader livelihood promotion and rural development strategies.
• FAO, together with partners, is advocating for the expansion of social protection to effectively reach men and women living in rural areas and to promote linkages between social protection and agriculture, food security, nutrition, natural resource management, decent rural employment and resilience building.
• It is our strong belief that achieving the 2030 Agenda requires a strong focus in addressing gender inequalities and social exclusion.
• In concluding -When social protection systems are tailored for rural women they become individuals, with registered names and addresses. And they become empowered to escape hunger through their own efforts, and thus lead dignified and productive lives”.