The Gender, Equity and Rural Employment Division (ESW) supports FAO’s efforts to promote the economic and social well-being of the rural poor. In addition to coordinating FAO’s work on sustainable rural development and population issues, the Division assists FAO and its member governments in addressing gender, equity and rural employment issues.

Gender: ESW leads and coordinates FAO’s work to address gender concerns in agriculture and rural development programmes and policies. The Division is working to mainstream gender within all technical areas of FAO’s mandate by advancing information; raising awareness, building capacities; providing technical assistance and supporting the development of sex-disaggregated data in agricultural censuses.

Equity: ESW promotes social and economic equity through analyses of population and gender dynamics and the multiple impacts that policies and programmes have on different rural populations. The Division leads and coordinates FAO’s efforts to understand and mitigate the impacts of HIV/AIDS and other diseases on agriculture and rural areas. It also provides technical and policy assistance, and helps to coordinate FAO’s support related to the rural disabled, indigenous peoples, migration, orphans and vulnerable children, rural ageing, and vulnerable mountain people.

Rural Employment: ESW leads and coordinates FAO’s work in promoting decent work in rural areas, with a focus on promoting fairer and more gender-equal rural employment and eliminating child labour.