FAO CONFERENCE 40TH SESSION - Side Event

This Special Event will build on the outcomes and the deliberations of several events organized recently by FAO, including the High-level Event on Rural Women that took place on 16 December 2016 and the celebration of the International Women’s Day 2017. In particular, the High-level Event highlighted three critical elements:

-The crucial role that rural women play in ending hunger and poverty and their role as agents of change; 

-The need for policies and programmes to accelerate rural women’s economic empowerment especially in the context of climate change; and 

-The importance of promoting transformative approaches to tackle the underlying causes of gender inequality in rural areas.

It is expected that the outcomes of the Special Event, will contribute to discussions of the forum on “Women’s empowerment in the context of food security and nutrition”, which will take place during the 44th session of the Committee on World Food Security in October 2017.

Agenda

Opening remarks by José Graziano da Silva, Director-General, FAO.

Presentation on FAO’s technical work on Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment by Mr. Kostas Stamoulis, Assistant Director-General, Economic and Social Development Department, FAO.

Panel discussion

Moderated by Ms Yasmina Bouziane, Deputy Director, Office for Corporate Comunication, FAO.

His Excellency Hugo Martínez, Minister of Foreign Affairs of El Salvador.

Her Excellency Fatimata Dia Sow, Commissioner for Social Affairs and Gender of ECOWAS.

His Excellency Ty Sokhun, Secretary of State, Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries of Cambodia.

His Excellency Ali Recep Nazli, General Director of Foreign Relations and EU Coordination of Ministry of Food Agriculture and Livestock of Turkey.

Her Excellency Néziha Labidi, Minister of Women and Family Affairs of Tunisia.

Haowa Bello, CEO and Founder of Madame Coquette - Beneficiary of the Youth Employment in Agriculture Programme.

Jessica Vega Ortega, Coordinator of the Yani Tundavii Dikuintií Collective of the Network of Young Indigenous Peoples of Latin America, Focal Point for the Global Indigenous Youth Caucus.

Questions and answers.

Concluding remarks.