Geneva, 13 July 2020. “Women are among the most vulnerable and consequently those who suffer the most,” highlighted Ms. Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett, Director FAO Liaison Office at Geneva, in her intervention to the Human Rights Council’s annual debate on Women’s Rights. The debate focused on accountability for women and girls in humanitarian settings, and the COVID-19 pandemic impacts on Women Rights.

“Rural women comprise 43% of the agricultural labor force; work longer hours than men; earn lower wages; have no equal access to employment opportunities; and in many societies face hindrances to ownership of land,” Ms. Rodrigues-Birkett said to the Council.  “In harder times, as presently due to COVID-19 and the Desert Locust invasion in different countries, women face even greater constraints. They are part of the 60 to 80% of severely food insecure people who rely on agriculture-based livelihoods,” she added.   As such, gender is a cross-cutting issue in the overall work of FAO.

According to FAO, 135 million people were acutely hungry in 2019. In 2020, another 183 million are at risk of being pushed into extreme hunger due to the pandemic. COVID-19 is a danger to food security and nutrition, especially to the world's most vulnerable communities and therefore, special measures to support this group are critical.

Highlighting the importance of FAO’s work in humanitarian contexts, Ms. Rodrigues-Birkett emphasized that  FAO’s activities are conducted in more than 70 countries to anticipate, prepare and respond quickly to crises; reducing risks and addressing vulnerabilities of women and girls, she said. She gave  the example of FAO’s work in the Horn of Africa and neighboring countries, where since January, FAO, in collaboration with governments, implemented important actions on the ground that helped to eliminate nearly half a trillion locusts, protecting one million tons of crops, spanning 500 thousand hectares, and sparing enough to feed 7 million people.

The 44th regular session of the Human Rights Council commenced on the 30 June and goes until  17 July 2020. This Session is taking place in an unprecedented format due to the precautionary measures necessary to combat the COVID-19 pandemic.  It allows for both virtual and some physical participation at the Assembly Hall of the Palais des Nations in Geneva. 

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More details on FAO work

 FAO Gender: http://www.fao.org/gender/en/

 Women in agriculture: http://www.fao.org/reduce-rural-poverty/our-work/women-in-agriculture/en/