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FAO Liaison Office in Geneva

Inclusive Rural Transformation

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The transformation towards more sustainable, inclusive and resilient agrifood systems is key to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). This involves a deep transformation of the economic, social and environment aspects of the rural sector.

Inclusive rural transformation is a process in which growth in rural areas, whether it occurs on-farm or off-farm, benefits all rural population groups, especially the poor. By generating decent employment, improving infrastructure, enhancing access to services, and boosting the capacity of rural people to influence policy, an inclusive transformation attenuates the “push” factors that are behind often high levels of rural–urban migration. Such inclusive approach ensures that rural–urban migration, a phenomenon that usually accompanies structural transformation, is not driven by a lack of local opportunities (FAO’s State of Food and Agriculture 2017).

The work of FAO on Inclusive Rural Transformation is coordinated by the Rural Transformation and Gender Equality Division. It involves various dimensions including rural institutions and governance, social protection and services, employment, migration, and a strong component on human rights, including gender equality, tenure rights, child labour in agriculture, and the right to food.

FAO works with member countries and other partners through a rights-based approach, to empower people by enhancing social protection systems and extending their coverage to rural areas, diversifying rural employment opportunities, reducing gender gaps and other social inequalities, strengthening producers’ organizations and improving governance of tenure and the rural poor’s access to natural and productive resources and financial services.

In Geneva, the most relevant issues concerning inclusive rural transformation, include migration, social protection, the right to food (and other rights-based issues), and decent rural employment. In close collaboration with ESP, the FAO Liaison Office in Geneva (LOG) helps to establish, maintain and develop good working relations and strategic partnerships in these areas with Geneva-based partner agencies and organizations such as ILO, IOM, OHCHR, UNHCR, and IFRC, as well as UNICEF, and WFP.

FAO is for example on the Steering Committee of the Migration Multi-Partner Trust Fund (MPTF), chaired by IOM’s Director-General, and actively participating in the Global Forum for Migration and Development (GFMD), with observer status since 2017, as well as in the ILO-led  Global Coalition for Social Justice.

FAO in Geneva also regularly briefs Members and partners on inclusive rural transformation issues, represents the Organization, and facilitates its participation, in key deliberations, such as the annual International Labour Conference, and participates in and reports on ILO’s and IOM’s governing bodies sessions. It is also very active on the regular sessions of the Human Rights Council, through attending, intervening, reporting, and providing inputs when relevant, as well as interacting with resolution sponsors when they hold open consultations, in close collaboration with headquarters units.

The FAO Liaison Office in Geneva, in collaboration with the Inclusive Rural Transformation and Gender Equality Division (ESP) and partner agencies such as the ILO, UNICEF, OHCHR, IFRC...  is organizing a Social Protection Dialogue Series to raise awareness on the role of social protection as a key instrument for poverty reduction and inclusive growth in rural areas. This series stress the need to increase investments at domestic and international level to expand social protection coverage, adequacy and comprehensiveness and thus contribute to more resilient and sustainable rural livelihoods. Through the engagement of distinguished speakers, the Dialogue Series present important work carried out in Member States and showcase concrete examples of strengthening and extending social protection systems as a core ingredient of strategies seeking to promote more resilient, inclusive, and sustainable agrifood systems.

Here is a list of Social Protection Dialogues so far, in reverse chronological order:

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