Conference

Table of Contents

I. INTRODUCTION

II. THE FAO PLAN OF ACTION FOR WOMEN IN DEVELOPMENT (1996-2001)

III. SUBSTANTIVE ACTIONS TO IMPLEMENT THE PLAN

IV. INSTITUTIONAL SUPPORT FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE PLAN

V. AFFIRMATIVE ACTION ISSUES

VI. THE NEXT PLAN OF ACTION (2002-2007)

I. INTRODUCTION

1. The Sixth Progress Report on the implementation of the FAO Plan of Action on Women in Development (1996-2001) was presented to the Thirtieth Session of the Conference, in November 1999 (C/99/INF/21). The Conference recommended that the Seventh Progress Report on the Implementation of the Plan of Action, illustrating the progress achieved during the biennium 2000-2001, be presented at its Thirty-first Session.

II. THE FAO PLAN OF ACTION FOR WOMEN IN DEVELOPMENT (1996-2001)

2. The FAO Plan of Action for Women in Development (1996-2001), approved during the Twenty-eighth Session of the Conference in November 1995 (C 95/14/SUP/1), has been the specific instrument for supporting the advancement and empowerment of rural women and for mainstreaming gender within FAO at policy, programme and institutional levels. The Plan aimed to (i) promote gender-based equality in the access to, and control of, productive resources; (ii) enhance women's participation in decision and policy-making processes at all levels; and (iii) promote actions to reduce rural women's workload and enhance their opportunities for remunerated employment. The Plan was built on such international initiatives as the Nairobi Forward-Looking Strategies for the Advancement of Women (1985) and the Platform for Action (1995) of the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing. It has also served as FAO's input and instrument for implementing the UN System-wide Medium-Term Plan for the Advancement of Women (SWMTP) prepared in follow-up to the Beijing Conference.

III. SUBSTANTIVE ACTIONS TO IMPLEMENT THE PLAN

3. In order to stimulate growth with equality while reducing rural poverty and achieving food security, through the provision of adequate and equitable access to productive resources and essential supporting services to both rural women and men, the implementation of the Plan concentrates on four inter-related areas of intervention. These are discussed below.

Developing and utilising methodologies, tools and training activities to assist development specialists in FAO and Member Nations in integrating a gender perspective into agricultural and rural development approaches

4. FAO has continued to make progress as regards the development of methodologies and the implementation of training activities aimed at strengthening the skills of development practitioners within FAO and Member Nations to integrate a gender perspective into agricultural and rural development initiatives. In this context, the Research, Extension and Training Division (SDR) developed a gender-sensitive analytical framework for the planning and implementation of agricultural programmes that are client-oriented. SDR has developed a gender-sensitive methodology, referred to as the Participatory Rural Communications Appraisal (PRCA), aimed at empowering rural women and men by helping them identify, prioritise and decide on their development objectives. The PRCA methodology is being implemented through rural development projects in Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe. The Policy Assistance Division (TCA) has held seminars on the subject of emerging issues in the field of development economics that have taken into account a gender perspective. Recognising the importance of the gender dimension among the factors affecting individuals' economic and non-economic response to policy measures, training materials addressing the analysis of gender within households are being prepared. TCA and the Women and Population Division (SDW) are collaborating in updating the Socio-economic and Gender Analysis Macro-level Handbook. It is expected that this Handbook will be ready for field-testing in collaboration with policy staff in regional offices towards the end of 2001.

5. The Rural Development Division (SDA) has an informal working group on participatory approaches and methods that take into account gender mainstreaming, and aims to raise awareness and share knowledge on gender-sensitive participatory approaches within FAO. An inter-departmental task group on analysis and evaluation of stakeholder participation, co-ordinated by the Agricultural Support Systems Division (AGS) and SDA, is developing a methodology for stakeholder appraisal of field projects that differentiates stakeholder views on benefits by gender. SDA and SDW have been collaborating in the implementation of an integrated project in Zambia in order to provide training to government field staff and farmer association leaders in community mobilisation skills, with a strong emphasis on gender issues. The Investment Centre Division (TCI) was involved in a national agricultural technology support project in Cameroon, aimed at transforming the national agricultural research and extension system towards a bottom-up client- and farmer-driven system. Initiatives have been undertaken to raise the proportion of women among extension workers in that country. The Forestry Policy and Planning Division (FON) is producing a conflict management training paper that includes a gender-perspective, based on the work of the Community Forestry Unit.

6. The Field Operations Division (TCO), in collaboration with SDW and the World Food Programme (WFP), is developing guidelines on gender and emergency interventions to ensure that gender analysis becomes an automatic element in the planning and implementation of emergency interventions. In this way, those that are frequently the most vulnerable and who have a crucial role to play in the rebuilding of their societies will not be further marginalized and can be targeted with appropriate agricultural interventions. Field projects also played their part in developing appropriate gender-sensitive guidelines, for instance, the FAO/SIDA/FARMESA programme actively supported the greater integration of gender into the Farming Systems Approach, and its institutionalisation in countries such as Zimbabwe and Tanzania.

7. The Socio-economic and Gender Analysis (SEAGA) initiative is the Women and Population Division's largest single activity in the Programme of Work and Budget (PWB) (www.fao.org/sd/SEAGA). The framework promotes a general awareness and sensitivity towards gender issues and strengthens the capacity of development specialists to incorporate gender considerations into development policy and planning. SEAGA offers practical methods and tools for undertaking socio-economic and gender analysis and training that can be used at the field, intermediate and macro levels. Issue specific or sector specific guides in the areas of project planning and implementation, statistics, nutrition, plant genetic resources, biodiversity, animal health systems, micro-finance, farm power and agricultural production technology, and emergency interventions, are being developed as joint initiatives of SDW and the relevant technical units.

8. SEAGA is one of the most significant training programmes within FAO. In its four years of training activity, the programme has held over 60 regional and national training workshops and sensitisation session in more than 40 countries in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean and Europe, training more than 1,400 international and national development specialists. Over 100 institutions (international agencies, research institutions, universities and NGOs) have been actively involved in the programme's activities. These training sessions have been partly funded by Regular Programme, and partly by extra budgetary resources from the Governments of Finland, Norway and the Netherlands.

9. Currently, SEAGA is broadening its initiatives in order to respond to the increasing interest and demand for information on gender analysis. The SEAGA web site is being revised in order to serve as a platform to share and exchange information with its users, thus promoting a more interactive forum. In order to create a network of development specialists in gender issues, a resource database of people trained in SEAGA is currently being developed and will be added to the web site. The web site like all the SEAGA documents and materials, is available in English, French and Spanish. Chinese, Arabic and Portuguese translations are in process.

10. In a unique SEAGA training programme, FAO is collaborating with an international network of institutions in Latin America (REDCAPA) with over 50 participants from 11 countries representatives of academia, research institutions, international organizations, NGOs, governmental institutions. Training activities have also been undertaken in South Africa and Central America, as a join effort with the University of Pretoria in South Africa and the World Food Programme respectively. With IFAD funding, FAO held SEAGA training of trainers sessions for national extension agents from the Ministry of Agriculture in Cameroon.

11. In collaboration with the Land and Water Development Division (AGL), the International Commission on Irrigation and Drainage (ICID), and SDW, an International training workshop on Participatory training methodologies for the empowerment of rural women in the Mediterranean region for sustainable irrigated crop production was organized in June 2000 in the Mediterranean Agronomic Institute in Italy. This workshop was part of the two-year Master of Science programme on "Land and water resources management: irrigated agriculture" that this Institute offers to experts from the Southern Mediterranean countries and Albania. A total of 23 experts, respectively from Albania, Algeria, China, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Palestine, Syria, Tunisia and Turkey, attended the training workshop.

12. Also, in May 2001, SDW and AGS join forces in organizing a SEAGA workshop on "Participatory methods for village women in small credit projects" in Iran. With participants also drawn from five other countries, the objective was to test the new draft SEAGA Sector Guide to Gender-sensitive Microfinance, and to raise awareness on socio-economic and gender issues in microfinance for the macro policy environment, the intermediaries that provide microfinance services, and the women and men clients.

Increasing availability, accuracy and use of quantitative and qualitative data and information on the gender dimension of agricultural and rural development

13. FAO-supported activities to improve data and information on human resources, as well as the constraints and opportunities of rural populations, will provide the foundation to guide gender-sensitive policy and programme formulation. Within this area of intervention, FAO technical units have pursued initiatives to improve the collection, tabulation, dissemination, and use of data disaggregated by sex. SDW released a publication entitled Agricultural Censuses and Gender Considerations, emphasising the need, as well as providing a framework, for the inclusion of a gender dimension into agricultural censuses. As part of the national preparations for the year 2000 round of agricultural census, technical assistance was provided to the Government of Panama for the integration of gender and social consideration in the planning and implementation of the next National Agricultural Census and the Regional Office for Africa (RAF) is supporting national data collection institutions to develop appropriate tools and techniques allowing for the collection of agricultural statistical data disaggregated by sex.

14. The Statistics Division (ESS) has concentrated on data disaggregated by sex derived from agricultural censuses and surveys, with the aim to provide an overview of the structure of gender involvement in agricultural activities. ESS also made progress in assisting countries in the collection, tabulation and dissemination of data disaggregated by sex. FAO organized a High-Level Consultation on `Rural Women and Information' in Rome, in late 1999, with the aim to encourage policy and decision-makers to improve the generation and dissemination of information on rural women and men, highlighting the specific problems of each so that the appropriate action can be taken to enhance agricultural and rural development and achieve food security. AGS sponsored national farm data system reviews in several countries in Asia and Africa, in order to identify priorities and develop action plans for increasing the availability and use of farm data, including sex-disaggregated data as appropriate, for development programmes, extension advisory services, and participatory farm planning.

15. SDW prepared a study on the first national census in China, entitled Visibility of the Role of Rural Women Through An Analysis of Gender-disaggregated Census Data, highlighting the socio-economic factors on agricultural holding and production, revealing a trend towards the feminisation and ageing of the rural population. As a follow-up, SDW, SDA, ESS, the Chinese National Bureau of Statistics and the Ministry of Agriculture are collaborating on a study of land tenure, gender and population issues, using the data from the First National Agricultural Census in China. It is anticipated that one of the results of this study will be the production of a statistical database on the aforementioned topics disaggregated by age and sex. As part of the Partnership Programme, FAO also sponsored a pilot study on women in Bulgarian agriculture, in collaboration with the Bulgarian Institute of Sociology. Both quantitative and qualitative data on rural women were collected during the study. The results of this study formed the nucleus of an expert consultation on `Gender and Participatory Research Methods for Eastern Europe', held in Bulgaria in June 2001. The aim of the consultation was to develop methodological guidelines and action plans for follow-up gender studies, based in large measure on the results and lessons learned from the Bulgarian pilot study.

16. FAO has published several documents and studies on the theme of gender issues to increase the availability of information on the gender dimension of agriculture. Three were prepared for the High-Level Consultation on Rural Women and Information: Filling the Data Gap - Gender-sensitive Statistics for Agricultural Development (prepared by SDW and ESS), Voices for Change - Rural Women and Communication (by SDR), and Participation and information: the Key to Gender-responsive Agricultural Policies (by SDW). Discussions at the Consultation resulted in the document entitled: "Gender and Food Security. The Role of Information: Strategy for Action". SDA prepared a document entitled Gender Issues in Land Tenure and, recognising the challenges within a knowledge-based society and economy, the Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific (RAP) launched activities aimed at facilitating rural women's access to education through distance education programmes. SDW has undertaken several initiatives on gender and land rights. In this context, collaboration with SDA/UNRISD/CRED and the University of Campinas was developed to carry-out field research in Brazil, Uzbekistan, South Africa, Burkina Faso and Senegal.

17. The Global Information and Early Warning System (GIEWS) within the Commodities and Trade Division (ESC), routinely includes in its Special Reports a section on food assistance requirements of vulnerable groups, such as pregnant and lactating women. A recent report investigated the reasons behind women's lack of access to an adequate supply of food in Cambodia. The Information Division (GII) and SDW have published many articles and features highlighting FAO's work in gender mainstreaming, including interviews, fact files, articles and information on FAO's projects. In order to increase knowledge on the role of women in crop production, the Plant Production and Protection Division (AGP) commissioned a study on the health effects of pesticide use among women spray operators in Indonesia, as well as a review on the role of women in vegetable production in Senegal and of potato production in Afghanistan. Recognising that access to banking services, especially to loans, is often skewed in favour of men, a recent publication on Improving Farmers' Financial Management Skills, prepared by AGS, has a heavy emphasis on practical measures to redress the current gender imbalance. The Gender and Food Security Website remains in use as a corporate website on gender and food security issues (www.fao.org/gender).

18. The Fishery Industries Division (FII) has supported the creation of a network for women working in the fisheries sector in Latin America (Infopesca), as well as the creation of the network's website and printing of promotion material. In October 2000, FII provided support to the first meeting of the network's national focal points. In 2001, FII conducted an analysis of the fishing industry in Latin America (mainly in Argentina, Uruguay, and Brazil), taking into account gender issues. In addition, this Division has prepared an annotated bibliography on women in fisheries. RLC, in collaboration with ECLAC, is supporting research on rural women's education and employment in Central American countries, to identify priority areas to be included in agricultural and rural development policies. RLC has also launched a user-friendly website (www.rlc.fao.org/mujer) that highlights gender dimensions in agricultural and rural development within the region and includes information on training packages, relevant links and a directory of rural women's organizations. RNE undertook a study of Bedouin Women and Desertification in Egypt, which was designed to collect and analyze information on gender roles in the conservation and use of natural resources and in the combat of desertification. A second study in Egypt focused on gender policy in the New Lands Programme and was intended to provide information on the situation of women regarding access to land, credit, education and health services. Yet another RNE study was accomplished on gender mainstreaming strategies in Yemen.

19. SDW is implementing the Dimitra project supported by Belgium and the Roi Baudouin Foundation to increase the availability of information on associations dealing with rural women, food security and sustainable development; as well as the visibility of rural women's contributions to development via traditional means of communication and new information technologies. The overall objective is to contribute to increased gender awareness among development actors and to promote information exchange and dissemination The Dimitra database (http://www.fao.org/sd/dimitra), in English and French, contains profiles on organizations related to rural women and development based in Europe, Africa and the Near East. The project publishes a bi-annual newsletter (in English and French), disseminated worldwide. The second edition of the Dimitra Guidebook on European Organisations (NGOs, information centres and research institutes) working with/for rural women from developing countries was published in 2000. Guidebooks on organisations in Africa and the Near East are being published in 2001.

20. SDW is also the lead technical unit for an innovative FAO project, entitled LinKS supported by Norway, that works with a diverse range of organizations in four countries of Southern Africa - Mozambique, Swaziland, Tanzania and Zimbabwe - to explore the linkages between gender, biodiversity and local knowledge systems. In the past biennium, the project has initiated several research and training activities that aim to enhance the capacity to recognize and value the local knowledge of men and women and apply this understanding to development projects, research and policy work. LinKS has also launched its website (http://www.fao.org/sd/links/gebio.htm) in order to share information about the project and the work of the many partner organizations it supports. A similar initiative on women and local knowledge system was developed for three countries in the Andean region. SDW has supported several studies of the relationship between gender and biodiversity. A field oriented research on Women and Andean Knowledge on Production was carried out in Bolivia, as well as a study on the Conservation of Genetic Resources of Corn in Guatemala. RAP conducted case studies on Gender Dimensions in Biodiversity Management in India, Sri Lanka and the Maldives. RAP also organised a multi-disciplinary technical consultation on gender issues in biodiversity management. The report of the consultation provides recommendations for action by national and international agencies.

21. In the frame of the preparation of the "World Food Summit - Five Years Later", GII has reviewed the technical background material and consulted with the Secretariat of the WFS with a view to ensuring gender balance in related communication work. As part of the overall restructuring of the Sustainable Development Department's website (`SD Dimensions'), the homepage for SDW (http://www.fao.org/sd/PE1_en.htm), has been restructured and updated in a user-friendly way to enhance the linkages with FAO's areas of concerns.

Supporting the formulation and application of gender-responsive agricultural and rural development policy

22. FAO assists Member Nations in formulating rural and agricultural policy that responds to the needs and interests of rural women and men in order to reduce or eliminate legislative, administrative, socio-economic, and behavioural obstacles to rural women's access to productive resources and services. Through the RAP and REU, research in the area of intra-household dynamics and household food security, aimed at improving the formulation of agricultural and rural development policies, has taken place. SDR has incorporated gender issues in national communication policies for Burkina Faso, Cape Verde and the Central African Republic. RAF has supported the Ministries of Agriculture in Ghana, Togo and Guinea - Conakry respectively in the preparation of a Gender and Agricultural Development Strategy document, aimed at facilitating an analysis of gender biases in agricultural services delivery and establishing a policy framework to overcome such impediments for sustainable agricultural and rural development. SDW has launched a new effort to examine the inter-linkages among gender, HIV/AIDS and food security in rural areas. Gender issues related to male out-migration from rural areas and progressive ageing of rural populations is also being addressed through its normative work. The Food and Nutrition Division (ESN) ensures the collation of sex-disaggregated data on food quality, food safety, and the nutritional status of rural populations, in order to incorporate the results of analyses into policy advice.

23. SDW has finalised a gender-responsive and participatory agricultural development planning package, based on the outcome of the workshop entitled `Gender and Participation in Agricultural Planning: Harvesting Best Practices'. The aim of the workshop was to evaluate experiences in gender sensitive participatory rural appraisal, in assuring women a voice in cultures where men dominate decision-making, in training extension agents to work with rural people, and in setting up mechanisms for needs-based planning processes. The package consists of key issue papers and planning framework, training materials, country case studies, the workshop report and a video. RAP has organised two multi-disciplinary and cross-sectoral technical consultations on the topics of `Participatory Research Methods and Gender-sensitive Databases' and `Gender-sensitive Local Planning', with the aim to develop a framework for local planning that is responsive to gender concerns.

24. FAO has implemented a number of technical cooperation projects to assist governments in the preparation of National Action Plans for the Integration of Women in Agricultural and Rural Development. Within this framework, SDW and REU have provided assistance to Bulgaria. RLC, in collaboration with local NGOs, has supported research in countries of the Amazon Region aimed at incorporating a gender dimension in public policies and, specifically, in the Amazon Cooperation Treaty. As a result of this exercise, guidelines for the integration of a gender perspective in agricultural and rural development policies were published. RLC is also supporting projects aimed at strengthening national institutions' capacity to mainstream gender into agricultural and rural development policies, programmes and projects, as well as reducing obstacles to rural women's access to productive resources and decision-making processes. Moreover, a gender mainstreaming approach is being adopted in the implementation of the Regional Office's field projects, including the SPFS Projects in Central America, post-harvesting projects (for example, in Bolivia and Ecuador), and forestry projects (such as the PACOFOR-Colombia project). SDW has provided technical assistance to Member Countries for the integration of gender considerations in agricultural policy and planning and for the development of equal opportunities action plan in the agricultural sector.

25. As part of an inter-divisional initiative, SDW together with SDR and the Animal Production and Health Division (AGA) are implementing the Integrated Support to Sustainable Development and Food Security Programme (IP), in collaboration with several other FAO units and relevant institutions in Namibia, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe. The programme with support from Norway and Finland promotes an interdisciplinary and integrated approach to development, and addresses the following key issues: gender and sex-disaggregated statistics, research, extension, animal genetic resources, household resource management, environmental information systems and communication for development. Gender is mainstreamed in all programme activities, and training in SEAGA and gender-disaggregated data is being implemented in the aforementioned African countries (www.fao.org/sd/IP).

Strengthening skills and capacity of rural women to reduce the burden of their labour and increase their economic gains

26. FAO has implemented several activities aimed at promoting the adoption of measures to enhance opportunities for remunerated employment and income generation activities. AGA has implemented activities targeting women involved in raising livestock, such as chickens, rabbits and goats, through women's associations. The Land and Water Development Division (AGL) implemented a number of development projects using a gender-sensitive participatory approach to assist small-scale women and men farmers to generate enough income to meet livelihood needs. As a result, women and men farmers began to diversify into areas where income could be made more easily. The Forest Resources Division (FOR) has co-ordinated the implementation of an inter-regional project for participatory upland conservation and development, supporting local women in developing an active role in integrated watershed management. This has entailed addressing the specific needs of women through activities aimed at enhancing their economic independence, such as income-generating activities, savings and credit schemes.

27. AGP, in collaboration with SDW, has conducted a case study on women in floriculture production in India. A video has been produced to demonstrate the potential of floriculture as an income-generating activity for women. Through RAP, a watershed management project was implemented in Pakistan aimed at supporting the economic activities of tribal women in Baluchistan, by providing training and credit. In Myanmar, FAO, with the support of UNDP, is providing assistance to community-based women's organizations to improve their access to credit, technology and training with the aim to improve rural livelihoods and food security; gender analysis training has also been initiated for the project. SDA has explored the issues surrounding income diversification, taking into account gender differentials, in a pilot project in India, Mexico and Mozambique. This project is now being extended geographically to allow cross-country analysis and to train FAO field staff in gender-sensitive household surveys and community appraisal methods.

28. A key strategy for alleviating rural women's workloads is the introduction of labour-saving technologies, in this regard, AGP is preparing a position paper on the assessment of new technologies for increased efficiency of women involved in greenhouse crop production. The Forest Products Division (FOP) is carrying out a study based on the reduction of women's workload in harvesting of wood and non-wood forest products and increased work safety and health of women participating in harvest operations. In Nepal, a policy paper on gender mainstreaming was developed to support FAO's efforts in forestry and forage development.

29. The IP is implementing activities in Uganda and Zambia to assist national partners and men and women farmers to make better use of available and appropriate technologies in agriculture. Ugandan and Zambian partners have underlined the problem of low adoption rates of new or existing technologies. The IP is supporting small studies on why the adoption rates of selected technologies are low/high and their appropriateness for male and female farmers as well as recommending ways of improving the technology transfer to farmers. The development of methodologies, material and tools for technology assessment and transfer are aimed at strengthening the work of FAO and partner countries in this area.

IV. INSTITUTIONAL SUPPORT FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE PLAN

Monitoring, evaluation and reporting

30. Monitoring of the Regular Programme activities is carried out on a case-by-case basis of projects where specific gender concerns have been identified. As regards Field Programme activities, FAO guidelines require a section in all evaluation reports on `gender equality in project implementation and results'. Divisions/Services have reported periodically on the progress made in the implementation of the Plan of Action and, as required, in connection with external reporting purposes, such as for the UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) and the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). A corporate review on progress made in gender mainstreaming was conducted within FAO during the biennium 1998-99 and submitted to the FAO Programme Committee in September 1999.
Internal mechanisms for the implementation of the Plan of Action

31. The implementation of the Plan has been supported at various levels within the Organization by operational arrangements intended to provide coordination and advice. An Inter-departmental Committee on Women in Development (COWID), was established in 1996, to function as the highest level coordinating body and advisory body for the implementation of the Plan of Action. Each Division has been responsible for the implementation of its Programme of Action on Women in Development, developed as an integral part of the overall corporate Plan. Divisional WID focal points were designated to facilitate, coordinate and monitor their relevant Programme of Action. SDW has provided continuous liaison with the Divisions and Services implementing the Plan of Action, providing them with technical assistance and advice as required. There is a WID/gender specialist outposted to each of the five regional offices of FAO. Resource constraints have not permitted to date to replicate this arrangement at sub-regional level. These WID officers collaborate extensively with the technical officers at regional and sub-regional levels from other divisions.

32. In 2000, the revised terms of reference for FAO Programme and Project Review Committee (PPRC) (http://internal.fao.org/ois/bulletin/projreview/pprc.htm), issued by the Director-General, explicitly includes a principle on "the promotion of gender equality and equity" as one of six fundamental principles against which all proposals, regardless of source of funding, will be assessed.

33. SDW has regularly provided information on the implementation of the Plan to other UN agencies, primarily through existing inter-agency mechanisms, including the Inter-Agency Committee on Women and Gender Equality's (IACWGE), the CSW, the ECOSOC, and the UN General Assembly Special Session held in June 2000 to review progress in implementing the 1995 Beijing Platform for Action.

V. AFFIRMATIVE ACTION ISSUES

34. Some progress has been made in regards to gender balance in staffing. Of significance, at the beginning of 2000, three women were appointed to the ADG level, increasing the number of female directors and above at headquarters to 13.5% from 11.0% as of 31 December, 1999, and from 4.3% as of 31 December, 1994. The number of female professionals (P1-P5) in headquarters also increased by the end of 2000, to 28.2% from 26.7% at the end of 1999. Overall, the number of female professionals in all locations moved to 24.9% by the end of 2000, from 23.6% at the end of 1999. (Note: The data provided reflect staff on fixed terms or on continuing appointments, and excludes APOs, NPOs, and field projects).

35. AFP in 2001 appointed a consultant on gender and diversity to support the implementation of FAO's stated commitment to gender balance and better geographical diversity in staffing. The gender advisor will support these two objectives in two ways: 1) by developing a strategy to improve the recruitment and retention of women, and 2) by working with management to improve skills in the area of gender and diversity. Emphasis will be placed on identifying and removing barriers that exist and negatively impact women's career development.

VI. THE NEXT PLAN OF ACTION (2002-2007)

36. This Report represents the final progress report of the FAO Women in Development Plan of Action (1996-2001). Overall, FAO has made progress in the implementation of the Plan of Action both -in its institutional arrangements and in its assistance to Member Nations, especially in regard to the overarching goal of gender mainstreaming within the larger programme of work of the Organization. However, the 1999 Corporate Progress Review on Gender Mainstreaming demonstrated that much more remains to be done to ensure that the needs, aspirations and rights of rural women, men, boys and girls are all addressed in an equitable manner throughout FAO's work. Thus, as of January 2002, pending endorsement by the FAO Conference it will be superseded by the FAO Gender and Development Plan of Action (2002-2007). This new and next Plan of Action was developed during the 2000-2001 biennium through a consultative process involving FAO's technical units and is being submitted jointly with the present Report to the 31^st session of the FAO Conference. It should be noted that during the preparation process of the next Plan, consultations focused on realigning concepts, approaches and institutional arrangements with the Gender and Development (GAD) approach, and to put into place effective supportive mechanisms and monitoring arrangements for gender mainstreaming throughout the Organization, in line with the organisational mid-term strategic plan.

ACRONYMS