WUNRN
http://www.un.org/en/events/ruralwomenday/
International
Day of Rural Women – 15 October
"The new Sustainable
Development Goals (SDGs) have gender equality and women’s empowerment at their
core, and include a target to “double the agricultural productivity and incomes
of small-scale food producers, in particular women”. Indeed, rural women are
critical to the success of almost all of the 17 SDGs."
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon
Woman working in rural area.
Women preparing sweet potato meal to sell in Assouba, Côte d'Ivoire. Photo
Credit: UN Photo/Patricia Esteve
Rural women, the majority of whom
depend on natural resources and agriculture for their livelihoods, make up over
a quarter of the total world population. In developing countries, rural women
represent approximately 43 per cent of the agricultural labour force, and
produce, process and prepare much of the food available, thereby giving them
primary responsibility for food security.
Bearing in mind that 76 per cent
of the extreme poor live in rural areas, ensuring rural women’s access to
productive agricultural resources contributes to decreasing world hunger and
poverty, and make rural women critical for the success of the new Sustainable
Development agenda for 2030.
The first International Day of Rural Women was observed on 15 October 2008. This new international day, established by the General Assembly in its resolution 62/136 of 18 December 2007, recognizes “the critical role and contribution of rural women, including indigenous women, in enhancing agricultural and rural development, improving food security and eradicating rural poverty."