The FAO technical programmes involved in distance-education initiatives are: the Women in Development Service (SDWW); the Agriculture Extension; the Education and Communication Service, which is within the Sustainable Development Department; and the WAICENT Outreach Programme, in the General Affairs and Information Department (GILF). The collaboration aims to define a catalytic role for FAO in applying distance-learning modalities to expand rural access to education and learning in order to achieve institutional objectives such as effective integration of women as partners in development, rural development and food security with gender equity. At the regional office for Asia and the Pacific, SDWW has taken the initiative to promote the focus on distance learning through national partners in the region.
This consultation on Distance-Learning Resources for Rural Women was planned through FAO inter-service collaborative efforts between the Women in Development Service in the Women and Population Division and Agriculture, Education, Extension and Communication for Development Service of the Agriculture Research and Education Division. The regional consultation was organized by the Women in Development Service programme at the FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific.
