[ad_1]
Rome, March 6, 2021 – Hunger and famine will persist and there will be a patchy recovery from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic unless more women in rural and urban areas hold leadership positions with increased decision-making power, chiefs say of the three upcoming United Nations food agencies. of their joint event for International Women’s Day on March 8
The event, co-hosted by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the World Food Program (WFP), will grab the world’s attention on the vital role that has empowered women farmers and entrepreneurs. and leaders must play so that women can make an equal contribution to exiting the COVID-19 pandemic and to creating an environment to eradicate poverty, improve productivity and improve food security and nutrition.
“The world is home to more than 1.1 billion girls under the age of 18, who have the potential to become the largest generation of women leaders, entrepreneurs and change makers ever for a better future. Yet women and girls continue to face persistent structural constraints that prevent them from developing their full potential and hamper their efforts to improve their lives as well as that of their homes and communities, ”said the Director-General of FAO, QU Dongyu. “Women and girls can play a crucial role in the response to the COVID-19 pandemic and in particular in the transformation of our agrifood systems. We must all work together to bring about the changes necessary to empower women and girls, especially those in rural areas, ”he added.
“It is essential that women not only take more leadership positions, but that they are consulted, listened to and included in all areas and stages of the pandemic response and recovery,” said Gilbert F. Houngbo, President of IFAD. “Investing in the leadership of rural women and involving them more in creating our post-COVID future is essential to ensure that their perspectives and needs are properly addressed, so that we can build better ones food systems where there is equal access to nutritious food and decent livelihoods. ”
“Women and girls make up half of our global community and it is time to see this reflected in leadership positions at all levels,” said David Beasley, Executive Director of WFP. “We know from our work around the world that when women and girls have better access to information, resources and economic opportunities, and are free to make their own decisions, hunger rates decrease and so do nutrition. improves not only for themselves but also for their families and communities. and countries. ”
Women’s leadership is particularly important in rural areas of developing countries, where the voices of the 1.7 billion women and girls who live there are often overlooked. Sixty percent of women in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa work in agriculture – but they have less access to resources and services than men, including land, finance, training, inputs and equipment . In addition to their agricultural work, women are overburdened with household chores and caring for their families – roles that have increased during the COVID-19 pandemic. At the same time, women are more negatively affected by the social and economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, including the loss of their livelihoods and the decrease in their personal income.
Ensuring that women have a greater voice is not just about gender equality. Women leaders can advocate for women to have better access and control over productive assets and inputs, thereby increasing their productivity and income, leading to food security and increasing their employment opportunities and real wages.
Research shows that if women farmers had the same access to productive resources as men, they could increase yields by 20 to 30 percent and total agricultural production by 2.5 to 4 percent, leaving 100 to 150 million people. of hunger.
FAO works to strengthen the engagement and leadership of rural women in agrifood systems. FAO also works with farmers’ organizations to ensure that the voices of rural women are heard and promotes gender transformative approaches to challenge unfair socio-cultural norms in rural communities. In addition, FAO helps governments adopt policies and strategies that meet the needs and aspirations of rural women and girls, enabling them to participate in decision-making and assume leadership positions. It also involves building women’s leadership skills and self-confidence and increasing gender awareness within national and local institutions. Within the Organization, FAO has established a Women’s Committee providing an inclusive and secure space that reflects the diverse and energetic nature of FAO’s female workforce. The Organization has also created incentives for the career prospects of female staff and for achieving gender parity at all levels and in all job categories.
Since 2009, IFAD has implemented a “household methodologies” approach to strengthen women’s equal roles and decision-making capacity within households, groups and communities. Data collected from Uganda, Rwanda, Kyrgyzstan and other countries has shown that women participating in the program take on leadership roles in their organizations and communities and have a greater voice in decision-making within their home. This has led to greater agricultural productivity.
Food security and gender inequalities are closely linked to disadvantage from an early age. In many countries, boys and girls have very different childhoods. Boys eat first, get more food than their sisters, do less housework, and get married later. For girls, marriage and not schoolwork can dominate their childhood. WFP’s work to achieve gender equality begins at school, where supporting or implementing school feeding programs in more than 70 countries helps increase girls’ school attendance. This gives them better access to education, reduces the risk of child marriage and other forms of gender-based violence, and increases future livelihood and leadership opportunities for girls.
Source link
