FAO and India's SEWA seek closer cooperation to boost rural women's access to land, skills and financial resources
Partnership would include capacity development and empowerment initiatives.
FAO has announced it will engage in a strategic partnership with India's Self Employed Women's Association (SEWA) in order to optimize its efforts on the empowerment of rural people, women in particular, which are key to eradicate poverty and hunger and to promote nutritious and healthy food systems.
The partnership will be signed later this year.
Registered as a trade union in 1972, SEWA is a membership organization of 1.9 million poor self-employed women workers. Its primary focus is assisting marginalized women farmers and informal sector workers through social mobilization campaigns and capacity development.
Recognizing that high poverty levels, especially in rural areas, stem from many factors, including limited income-generating opportunities, inadequate livelihood options and a lack of participation in decision-making processes, FAO and SEWA are currently exploring a range of cooperation opportunities.
These include, monitoring and evaluation processes, and inter sectoral participatory approaches for the empowerment of the rural poor, particularly women and young people.