Women and labour: ‘A nutritional perspective’ -a side event for the 61st Session of the Commission on the Status of Women

Your Excellency,Mrs Esther Nyawa Lungu, First Lady of Zambia

Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen,

 

 

I am honoured to join you in today’s event to discuss on the nutritional perspective of women and labour, which is part of the Decade of Action on Nutrition undertakings, endorsed this year by the United Nations General Assembly.

 

FAO and WHO are honoured to facilitate the organization of the Decade. We are working with a wide number of partners including governments, civil society, academia, the private sector, farmers and the UN System to use the Decade to push for improved nutrition results in the context of the ICN-2 and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The added value of the Decade is to highlight the urgency to act, establish a focused period to set, track and achieve impact and outcomes to generate and implement country-specific commitments for action.

 

More often than not, the face of malnutrition is female. In households which are vulnerable to food insecurity, women are at greater risk of malnutrition than men.

 

In fact, malnutrition in mothers, especially those who are pregnant or breastfeeding, can set up a cycle of deprivation affecting child growth, health and development. This has a negative impact for today and future generations as it can lead to poor school performance and lower work productivity in adulthood.

 

At the same time, women are in a unique position to improve nutrition in their households. In sub-Saharan Africa, for example, women provide 60-80% of the labour involved in producing food for household consumption and sale. Yet vulnerable women frequently have limited access to nutrition information and resources such as income, land and equipment.

 

One of the recommendations from the Second International Conference on Nutrition, was to strengthen local food production and processing, especially by smallholder and family farmers, giving special attention to women’s empowerment, while recognizing that efficient and effective trade is key to achieving nutrition objectives.

 

Focusing on gender roles matters because actions to improve nutrition cannot achieve lasting solutions without taking into consideration among other conditions the gender inequalities which  stand in the way of good nutrition.

 

FAO has found that gender equality and women’s empowerment significantly improve the nutrition and well-being of the entire household. When women have greater control over household resources they and their families are better nourished. This happens because women tend to spend more on the nutrition, health, and well-being of their households.

 

But this is not to say that the responsibility of the well-being of families should fall solely on the shoulders of women. ICN-2 clearly recommended encouraging and promoting an enabling environment where men, particularly fathers, participate actively and share responsibilities with mothers in caring for their infants and young children, while empowering women and enhancing their health and nutritional status throughout the life course.

 

Fourth, I would like to add that expanding the opportunities of women and girls is a duty of states. Ensuring women’s and girls’ rights, including their right to food and right to health are therefore of critical importance. But I also want to highlight that this is not only a moral imperative but a wise decision because of the positive effects of such an action in a wide range of areas.

 

Today, countries advancing towards gender equality and the empowerment of women are with us to share their experiences. Their efforts are examples that motivate further action, involving all of us.

 

In closing, I would finally like to reiterate FAO’s commitment in supporting member states’ efforts to “step up on gender equality” to end hunger and poverty, and ensure equal rights for all, women, girls and boys.

 

Thank you for your attention.