56th session of the Commission on the Status of Women: side event on Rural Employment and Agriculture

06/04/2012

On the 27th of February 2012 the fifty-sixth session of the Commission on the Status of Women opened at United Nations Headquarters in New York from Monday. This year’s theme is on ‘The empowerment of rural women and their role in poverty and hunger eradication, development and current challenges’.

Given the centrality of rural women in FAO’s work to eradicate hunger and poverty, its initiatives at the forefront of rural women’s empowerment, and its focus on women in agriculture in the 2010-11 edition of its flagship “State of Food and Agriculture” report, FAO will play a major role in this year’s discussions. Anne Tutwiler, FAO’s Deputy Director-General, headlined the Commission’s Opening Session.

On the 28th of February a side event on Rural Employment and Agriculture was held. The event was co-hosted by FAO, in collaboration with the International labour Organization (ILO) and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD).
The objective of the panel discussion was to stimulate dialogue and propose relevant policy recommendations on how decent work and full employment can contribute to the empowerment of rural women and their role in poverty and hunger eradication, development and current challenges.

The panelists contributed to the event in an active dialogue with the participants. The discussion highlighted the importance of addressing the gender dimensions of agricultural and rural employment in policy approaches. Panellists provided examples of successful policy approaches and strategies to address decent work deficits in rural areas, and any lessons learned from these approaches and strategies. They also provided recommendations to governments on ways to reduce gender inequality in rural areas and shared experiences of how their organizations have supported the empowerment of rural women and reduced gender inequality.

Download the flyer of the event.