Asia-Pacific Regional Dialogue to Mark the International Year of the Woman Farmer

The FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific, together with the UNDP Regional Bureau for Asia and the Pacific, commemorates International Women’s Day 2026 under the theme “Rights. Justice. Action. For ALL Women and Girls.”

The year 2026 marks the International Year of the Woman Farmer (IYWF 2026), declared by the United Nations General Assembly to recognize and elevate the pivotal roles women play across agrifood systems. Women farmers are essential to food security, nutrition, and the resilience of rural livelihoods—yet their contributions often remain undervalued and insufficiently supported.

To mark this occasion, the FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific and the UNDP Regional Bureau for Asia and the Pacific will host a webinar titled “International Women’s Day 2026: Regional Dialogue to Mark the International Year of the Woman Farmer.”

The event will spotlight women farmers’ experiences, highlight good practices, and explore entry points for progress. Drawing on insights from country offices and regional partners, the dialogue aims to strengthen collaboration and mobilize momentum for the International Year of the Woman Farmer across Asia and the Pacific.

Join us to explore how we can create a more inclusive and empowering future for all women farmers.

Objectives of the event

The event will provide a dynamic platform for knowledge exchange, awareness‑raising, and partnership‑building, with the following objectives:

• Showcase promising practices and innovations by highlighting gender‑responsive and gender‑transformative approaches that have reduced inequalities and strengthened women farmers’ agency, leadership, and economic opportunities.
• Facilitate multi‑stakeholder dialogue by engaging government institutions, UN agencies, civil society, and private‑sector partners to identify common priorities and regional entry points for advancing gender equality in agrifood systems.
• Contribute to coordinated regional action for IYWF 2026 by fostering a shared understanding of opportunities, needs, and collaboration pathways to strengthen regional engagement in the International Year of the Woman Farmer.

Register Now: https://fao.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_hpbCC6jHRGOieMzwWulejw

IWD 2026 Programme

14:00	Welcome Remarks Alue Dohong, Assistant Director-General and Regional Representative, FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific
14.10	Opening Remarks Vinaroj Supsongsuk Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives of the Kingdom of Thailand
14.20	Video presentation on the International Year of the Woman Farmer 2026
14.25	Panel Discussion: Challenges and Opportunities for Advancing Gender Equality in Agrifood Systems (45 minutes) 1.      Nikita Gopal, Central Institute of Fisheries Technology, India 2.      Sok Sothearath, Youth Social Entrepreneur, JUNLEN Cambodia, member of UNDP Youth CO:Lab, Climate Action 3.      Nelson Silas, Model Farmer, MiBank Agent and Chairperson of Ziampir Horticulture Business Group, Papua New Guinea 4.      Bhawani Thapaliya, Gender Equality and Social Inclusion Specialist, FAO Nepal 5.      Wiene Andriyana, Technical Analyst, Safeguard and Gender Focal Point for Nature & Low Carbon Development/NLCD Unit, UNDP Indonesia    Moderator: Sudha Gooty, Regional Gender Advisor and Team Leader, UNDP Regional Bureau for Asia and the Pacific
15:25	Closing Remarks Beate Trankman, Deputy Regional Director, UNDP Regional Bureau for Asia and the Pacific
Event moderator: Kae Mihara, Gender Officer, FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific