WUNRN
15 October 2014 – Rural women are key agents for achieving the transformational
economic, environmental and social changes required for sustainable
development, the United Nations declared ahead of the International Day
commemorated as an opportunity to promote their empowerment.
“Collectively, rural women are a
force that can drive global progress,” said Secretary-General
Ban Ki-moon in a message
marking the occasion, which he also said was especially personal.
“My mother has lived her whole
life in the countryside. Although she did not receive much of a formal
education, I grew up appreciate her wisdom, resilience and intelligence,” he
said.
When we give rural women access to productive
agricultural and natural resources, we empower them. They, in turn, can
contribute more to alleviating hunger and boosting the ability of their
communities to cope with the effects of climate change, land degradation and
displacement. This benefits all people.
These qualities are shared by
millions of rural women around the world, said Mr. Ban. This is why women
living in the countryside are essential if we as an international community to
move ahead on the post-2015 development goals and conclude a universal climate
agreement.
“Because they often live on the
frontlines of poverty, natural disasters and other threats, rural women have an
enormous stake in the successes of our global campaigns,” the UN chief added.
First, we must address the
discrimination and deprivation that rural women continue to suffer, Mr. Ban
said. Too many lack access to land, markets, finance, social protection and
services. Many also face grave security risks in the course of their
life-saving tasks, such as collecting water or fuel.
The majority of rural women
depend on natural resources for their livelihoods. In developing countries,
they make up more than 40 per cent of the agricultural labour force. They
produce, process and prepare many of society’s meals, frequently taking primary
responsibility for household food security, health status and education
opportunities.
“When we give rural women access
to productive agricultural and natural resources, we empower them. They, in
turn, can contribute more to alleviating hunger and boosting the ability of their
communities to cope with the effects of climate change, land degradation and
displacement. This benefits all people,” said Mr. Ban.
Echoing that sentiment, UN Women
Executive Director Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka said in her message
on the Day that all over the world, gender inequality in land and other
productive resources is intrinsically related to women’s poverty and exclusion.
Women’s rights to access, use, control, and ownership of land and other
productive resources are essential to reverse this.
“Sustainable solutions are not
imposed from the outside. It is of utmost importance that rural women’s voices
are heard in discussion, debates and policymaking about their lives,” Ms.
Mlambo-Ngcuka added.
Every day rural women face
complex obstacles blocking their rights to land. These include discriminatory
laws and practices governing inheritance and marital property; gender-biased
land reform that privileges men over women; unequal access to land markets; and
discriminatory attitudes and beliefs.
“This situation persists,
despite international and regional instruments and policies that recognize
women’s rights to land and important developments in many countries to ensure
and protect these rights, she said, underscoring that UN Women’s publication Realizing Women’s Rights to Land and Other Productive
Resources , published with the Office of the UN High
Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), gives a
comprehensive picture of the critical issues affecting women’s rights to land
and presents recommendations, good practices and success stories.
“It is critical that women’s
rights to land and other productive resources be addressed in the post-2015
road map and embraced by the future sustainable development goals,” the
Executive-Director said, emphasizing the need for adequate data that is
gender-disaggregated to shape the evidence base for policy change.
UN Women is on the ground
supporting several
initiatives that promote the leadership of rural women in shaping laws and
policies.
In
In
Because women farmers typically
have less access to irrigation technology, in China’s Ningxia Hui Autonomous
Region, UN Women helped educate scores of women farmers about how to advanced
irrigation systems.
UN Women has also partnered up
with the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)
and the UN World Food Programme (WFP) for the
“Accelerating Progress towards the Economic Empowerment of Rural Women”
initiative, which engages with governments to develop and implement laws that
promote equal rights.
First observed in 2008, the International Day of Rural Women was established by the UN General Assembly, recognizing “the critical role and contribution of rural women, including indigenous women, in enhancing agricultural and rural development, improving food security and eradicating rural poverty.”
_____________________________________________________________________________________