62nd Session of the Commission on the Status of Women General Debate

Excellencies, Esteemed Delegates, Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is a great pleasure for me to address the 62^nd Session of the Commission, whose priority theme is at the heart of FAO’s work.

I would like to start by reminding us all that although the world today produces enough food to feed everyone, about one in three persons globally suffers from at least one form of malnutrition: be it hunger, micronutrient deficiencies, or overweight and obesity.

We still have a long way to go to end hunger, malnutrition and extreme poverty. It is therefore entirely appropriate that development goals related to food and agriculture are so prominent in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Furthermore, in the coming decades, we will need to substantially step up food production to feed the growing global population, which will require major transformative changes in agriculture.

Why am I mentioning these challenging facts in this meeting? The answer is simple: because rural women and girls are critical to all of this. They are a vitally important force in rural development, and their contributions and leadership will be key to achieving the SDGs. And while rural women continue to face enormous challenges on many fronts, we know that empowering them generates major gains in poverty reduction, ending hunger and overall economic growth.

This is why working towards rural women’s economic empowerment is a fundamental part of all FAO’s activities. Indeed, gender has been incorporated into the renewed FAO Strategic Framework as a cross-cutting theme.

In its work, FAO focuses on key “enablers” of rural women’s empowerment, including: increasing rural women’s access to productive resources; enhancing their role in rural labour markets and food value chains; and fostering their participation and decision-making in rural institutions and governance mechanisms at all levels.

FAO also provides technical advice to formulate and implement gender-sensitive policies, legislations and programmes; and to build the capacities of governments and other stakeholders. With our partners, including the other Rome-based Agencies, IFAD and WFP, we are supporting member states in finding effective ways to empower rural women so that they can move up the economic ladder in agriculture and beyond.

This is easier said than done. The challenges are vast and each context is different. At the same time, the results on the ground are very encouraging. When rural women are empowered to have more say in decision-making and to enjoy equal access to resources and opportunities, then agricultural incomes improve and the rates of poverty and hunger go down. Clearly, empowering rural women paves the way for achieving the SDGs.

Ladies and Gentlemen, in closing I would like to assure you that FAO stands ready to lead the global effort to empower women in agriculture for our common cause that is at the very heart of the 2030 Agenda: freeing the world of hunger and poverty, and leaving no one behind.

Thank you for your attention.