The Gender, Equity and Rural Employment Division (ESW) works on behalf of FAO with a range of UN agencies, NGOs, civil society organizations and academic centers to promote rural gender and social equity, decent rural employment and the reinforcement of rural institutions in agricultural and rural development. The main partnerships are:

The three United Nations Rome-based Agencies--FAO, The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and World Food Programme (WFP)-- collaborate with a common vision to address world food security and work together to promote gender equality and women’s empowerment for rural development and food security through joint awareness-raising campaigns, advocacy, research and capacity development. The three agencies also work jointly to contribute expert research to the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) on issues pertaining to gender and agriculture, rural development and food and nutrition security. 

FAO and UN Women collaborate to promote gender equality and enhance women’s economic empowerment. The Organization is part of several task forces within the Inter-Agency Network on Women and Gender Equality (IANWGE), the United Nation’s  network of Gender Equality Focal Points chaired by UN Women. In 2011, the IANWGE established  a one year Task Force on Rural Women co-chaired by FAO and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) to coordinate a UN-wide status report on the progress of rural women in relation to the Millennium Development Goals and to prepare formal contributions for the 2012 Commission on the Status of Women session.

The FAO –International Labour Organization (ILO) partnership on  “Food, Agriculture and Decent Work” supports the creation in rural areas of decent work opportunities with a focus on promoting fairer and more gender-equitable employment, youth employment, eliminating child labour in agriculture, and fostering stronger linkages between rural and urban areas.

FAO is an active member in The Inter-Agency Standing Committee for the Coordination of Humanitarian Assistance (IASC) , an inter-agency forum for coordination, policy development and decision-making involving the key UN and non-UN humanitarian partners. The IASC develops humanitarian policies, agrees on a clear division of responsibility for the various aspects of humanitarian assistance, identifies and addresses gaps in response, and advocates for the effective application of humanitarian principles. Together with the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the IASC forms the key strategic coordination mechanism among major humanitarian actors.

The World Bank, FAO and the International Fund for Agricultural Development(IFAD) work together closely on gender in agriculture. The three organizations co-produced the Gender in Agriculture Sourcebook, a guide for practitioners and technical staff in addressing gender issues and integrating gender-responsive actions in the design and implementation of agricultural projects and programs, and the Genderinag.org e-platform, a knowledge network for agriculture specialists, practitioners and the academic community to share and improve upon lessons learned in efforts to reducing poverty through sustainable rural development.

FAO works closely with the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR), a global partnership that unites organizations engaged in research for sustainable development.  FAO is engaged in several initiatives within the CGIAR, including the Research Programme on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS) that aims to address the increasing challenge of global warming and declining food security on agricultural practices, policies and measures. FAO and CCAFS seek to ensure that agricultural development fosters climate change solutions (both mitigation and adaptation) to achieve climate smart agriculture that sustainably increases productivity, resilience, reduces/removes greenhouse gases and enhances achievement of national food security and development goals. FAO and CCAFS also work to mainstream gender issues into climate smart agriculture so that women participate and benefit to the same extent as men. Within the CGIAR, FAO also collaborates with The International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), which works to provide policy solutions that reduce poverty and end hunger and malnutrition.

FAO is part of the Global Gender and Climate Alliance (GGCA) that works to ensure that climate change policies, decision-making, and initiatives at the global, regional, and national levels are gender responsive. The objectives of the GGCA are to integrate a gender perspective into policy and decision making in order to ensure international mandates and other legal instruments on gender equality are fully implemented; ensure that financing mechanisms on mitigation and adaptation address the needs of poor women and men equitably; build capacity at all levels to design and implement gender-responsive climate change policies, strategies and programmes; and develop, compile, and share practical tools, information, and methodologies to facilitate the integration of gender into policy and programming.