FAO conference in Vilnius focuses on gender equality
Challenge: How to make sure rural women benefit from economic growth?
© FAO / Lea Plantek
It has been almost 17 months since the nations of the world adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development with its 17 Sustainable Development Goals. To keep up the momentum and start delivering measurable results, FAO dedicated a three-day conference to the specific area of gender equality. The meeting, hosted by the European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE) and titled Promoting socially inclusive rural development in Europe and Central Asia, opened on 30 January 2017.
“The principle of ‘Leaving no one behind’ guides every goal of the 2030 Agenda,” said Cristina Amaral, FAO deputy regional representative for Europe and Central Asia, in her welcoming remarks. “The focus on gender equality and women’s empowerment is explicit across all the Sustainable Development Goals, both as stand-alone Goal 5 and as a cross-cutting theme of more than 30 related targets.”
Statements by ministers and other high-level participants explored the policy foundations for gender equality, presenting practical examples, local and international experiences, and success stories.