51吃瓜

Marking the International Day of Rural Women, the 51吃瓜 today affirmed the role of women as significant and crucial for the progress of rural households, local and national economies.

鈥淭hey are farmers and farm workers, horticulturists and market sellers, business women and community leaders. Rural women are the backbone of sustainable livelihoods and provide food security for their families and communities,鈥� said UN听听Ban Ki-moon in his听听marking the occasion.

Mr. Ban also noted that the听听falls just after the adoption of the听听last month. He urged the global leaders to seize the opportunity offered by the new framework to transform rural women鈥檚 lives.

鈥淭he new听听(SDGs) have gender equality and women鈥檚 empowerment at their core, and include a target to 鈥渄ouble the agricultural productivity and incomes of small-scale food producers, in particular women.鈥� Indeed, rural women are critical to the success of almost all the 17 SDGs,鈥� said Mr. Ban.

鈥淲e must build resilient social protection systems, labour and product markets, governance institutions, and civil society organizations so that rural women can both contribute to and benefit from sustainable development,鈥� said the Secretary-General.

The sentiment was shared by UN Women Executive Director Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka who听听that rural women play a key role in underpinning sustainable development and further stressed that following the framework of Agenda 2030 will help in accelerating progress for rural women.

鈥淎s we launch Agenda 2030 globally and locally, we must learn from the lessons of implementing the听and the Millennium Development Goals (). We have an unparalleled opportunity and commitment to end poverty and hunger, achieve food and nutrition security, and guarantee sustainable livelihoods by investing in rural women and climate-resilient agriculture,鈥� said Ms. Mlambo-Ngcuka.

However, according to MDG indicators, rural women suffer disproportionately from poverty, and face multiple forms of discrimination, violence and insecurity as compared to rural men and urban men and women.

Ms. Mlambo-Ngcuka observed that at the Global Leaders鈥� Meeting on Gender Equality and Women鈥檚 Empowerment: A Commitment to Action, the top political leaders of Angola, Colombia, Jordan, Paraguay, Senegal and Viet Nam highlighted intersecting forms of discrimination for girls and women living in poverty in rural areas.

鈥淭hey include economic and financial barriers to girls鈥� education such as the elimination of school fees and provision of stipends, scholarships and non-financial support, particularly in rural and remote areas. Legal reforms are needed to guarantee women鈥檚 equal right to property and to realize sexual and reproductive health and rights,鈥� added the Executive-Director.

She urged to address these barriers to rural women鈥檚 progress with measures that are compliant with the Agenda 2030.

She also stressed on increasing access to healthcare, provision of free or subsidized essential drugs and commodities, access to family planning measures and upgrading their skills through agricultural extension services.

Highlighting the role women can play in addressing climate change activities, the Executive-Director reported that in Bangladesh, targeted steps are being taken with 19,000 women, to prepare for its known vulnerability to climate change.

鈥淲omen鈥檚 participation in local institutions for governing natural resources is critical for sustainable land, forest and water management, as well as for building resilience and planning for climate change and adaptation strategies,鈥� said Ms. Mlambo-Ngcuka.

鈥淎ddressing the adverse effects of climate change through climate-resilient agriculture strategies and natural resource management is increasingly important for securing rural women鈥檚 rights, empowerment, and well-being,鈥� she added.

Although women constitute 43 percent of the agricultural labour force in developing countries, many of them are without ownership of the lands they work in and neither do they have an authoritative voice in local governments.

Ms. Mlambo-Ngcuka stressed that this can only be changed if the global leaders take every opportunity to 鈥榚nsure that rural women do not lag behind, but rather lead the way.鈥�

鈥淭he International Day of Rural Women is an opportune moment to amplify rural women鈥檚 voices and experiences from around the globe. Let us act on our commitment to creating opportunities for rural women across every relevant goal 鈥� and thereby advance progress for all,鈥� added Mr. Ban.