“How social protection programmes further rural women’s economic empowerment” - Side-event at the 61st Session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women

Thank you, Shannon.

 

Your Excellency Meher Afroze Chum, Minister of Women and Children Affairs of Bangladesh,

Your Excellencies, Permanent Representatives of Bangladesh, Canada and Denmark,

Distinguished guests,

Ladies and gentlemen,

 

First let me thank the Governments of Bangladesh, Canada and Denmark for the invitation extended to FAO to support the organization of this event.

 

Social protection is a corporate priority for FAO, recognized as critical component to reduce rural poverty, accelerate zero hunger outcomes and build resilient rural livelihoods.

 

FAO’s work and research shows the role social protection plays in reducing gender inequalities, as well as promoting rural women’s economic empowerment.

 

The experience of Bangladesh that was shared today is an emblematic example of this.

 

And this, I must add, is not only a goal in itself, but an enabler for the entire 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

 

Gender inequalities not only jeopardise poor rural women’s income security in the short-term, but also their ability to invest in more profitable livelihood activities, in agriculture and the non-farm economy, and to better manage risks and eventually exit their way out of poverty.

 

Social protection can be a powerful tool to break this negative spiral.

 

When they are delivered in regular and predictable manner, social transfers help rural women meet practical needs for food, health and reproductive care and education. Social protection can also directly reduce gender gaps in access to productive resources.

 

By providing rural women direct access to benefits, cash transfers can boost their role in household decision-making, balance intra-household gender roles and labour allocation, and promote participation in social networks.

 

Our studies also point to the fact that more can be done to ensure gender is integrated in the planning, design and implementation stages. Ways to achieve this include:

 

• Targeting approaches to ensure equal inclusion of rural women and men in the programmes with a focus on the most vulnerable groups;
• Using culturally-conscious sensitization and messaging efforts to ensure rural women’s not only have access to, but also a control over the transfer;
• Integrating different features, such as job quotas, flexible working hours and access to childcare facilities at work sites,; and 
• Linking benefits with complementary support, such as social and care-based services, rural livelihoods and market interventions, and broader rural development and anti-discriminatory legislation frameworks.

 

I would like to add that strengthening political commitments for gender-sensitive social protection interventions and ensuring community support for gender equality is the essential part of this process.  

 

To this end, one example of FAO’s ongoing work is the development of a training course to enhance the knowledge and skills of policymakers and practitioners to design and implement gender sensitive cash transfer and public works programmes that can contribute to rural women’s empowerment and lead to sustainable and gender-equitable poverty reduction and food security outcomes.

 

Finally, I want to reaffirm FAO’s commitment to support countries strengthen their social protection programmes.

 

Thank you for your attention.