70th Session of the United Nations General Assembly - 3rd Committee - Item 29 - Advancement of Women

 

 

 

 

Joint Statement by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO),

the World Food Programme (WFP) and the International Fund for Agriculture Development (IFAD) to the Third Committee of the 70th UNGA on the Advancement of Women [Item 29]

Delivered by Carla Mucavi, Director of FAO Liaison Office, New York

14 October 2015, New York

 

 

Mr. Chairman

 

I am pleased to deliver this statement on behalf of the Rome-based Agencies, FAO, WFP and IFAD.

 

The importance of the economic, political and social empowerment of all women cannot be overstated, especially in rural areas. Women represent 43 per cent of the agricultural work force worldwide and as much as 70 per cent in some countries. Often working longer hours than men, rural women are also the caregivers of immediate and extended families, and small business entrepreneurs and investors who dedicate most of their earnings to the well-being of their families and communities

 

However, their access to agricultural resources, credit, healthcare, education, food and nutrition, and political space is disproportionately limited.

 

The recently adopted Agenda 2030 provides the means to address this distortion.  Gender equality and women’s rights and empowerment span across the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This means that there is a significant opportunity to implement the new development agenda with and for the benefit of rural women.

 

The political and economic empowerment of rural women is vital to the success of all of the SDGs, particularly the goal to end poverty in all its forms everywhere, eradicate hunger, achieve food security, improve nutrition, and promote sustainable agriculture.

 

October 11 was the International Day of the Girl Child and we take this opportunity to recognize that rural youth, and rural girls in particular, are important agents for achieving food security and reducing poverty in the years to come. 

 

The UN food agencies, including FAO, IFAD and WFP, as well as UN Women, recognize the importance significance of empowering rural women, and this is reflected in our Joint Programme on “Accelerating Progress towards the Economic Empowerment of Women”.  Commencing in 2012, the four agencies’ joint programme has sought to: (1) improve food and nutrition security; (2) increase income to sustain livelihoods; (3) enhance participation in decision-making at community level; and (4) promote a more gender-responsive policy environment. Joint programmes are being implemented in seven countries: Ethiopia, Guatemala, Kyrgyzstan, Liberia, Nepal, Niger and Rwanda

 

FAO provides policy assistance on agriculture and food security by advancing women’s access and ownership of lands; IFAD invests in the inclusive and sustainable transformation of rural areas in order to shift agricultural production and farming practices, enhance access to markets, and improve off farm employment opportunities; WFP supports farmers through its food-for-asset-creation programmes, farm-to-market initiatives,  local procurement or Purchase for Progress; and UN Women provides its expertise on gender equality and empowerment.  Much progress has been achieved through the joint programme, but much more can be done if the programmes obtain more resources.

 

Strengthening the role of women through gender-sensitive programing in the agriculture and other income-generating activities is a significant step to empower the women. They become self-reliant, more aware of their roles and voices in the community, and they harness their capacity to break the cycle of poverty and to contribute to social protection.

 

The recently launched State of Food and Agriculture (SOFA) flagship report show how social protection can support poverty eradication and how it can be combined with agricultural support. This includes local sourcing from family farmers to supply school meals, and investing in cash transfers and cash-for-work programs that will allow poor families to buy locally the food and other goods they may need.  In the agriculture sector, cash and in-kind transfers can contribute to higher incomes and food security by increasing access to food in times of need and by enabling rural households to buy the tools and inputs they need to produce food.

 

As I conclude, I invite you all to join FAO, IFAD, WFP and UN Women to an event celebrating the International Day of Rural Women, 15 October, and also to the annual observance of the World Food Day by FAO, IFAD, WFP and ILO, 16 October.

 

Significant progress has been made in improving the lives of women since the Beijing conference; however, we are concerned that rural women are lagging behind in every development indicator – both behind rural men and urban women.  Let us now begin to take steps, where we can say in 2030, that the lives and livelihoods of rural women have vastly improved in all areas and that they are well equipped to reach their full potential.