Closure Webinar: Gender Transformative Approaches for Food Security and Nutrition - Lessons and Reflections from the JP GTA

As the JP GTA draws to a close in December 2024, the Programme is organizing a webinar to share reflections on key achievements and lessons learned that can contribute to the promotion and uptake of gender transformative approaches in the context of food security, nutrition and sustainable agriculture interventions. During the webinar, panellists will provide insights into the experience of the Rome-based Agencies in implementing the Joint Programme, including joint advocacy efforts, technical work and pilot projects in Ecuador and Malawi.

In addition, three new knowledge products will be presented as a contribution to the legacy of the Joint Programme:

• Theory of change for gender transformative programming
• Step-by-step guide to integrating the gender transformative approach throughout the project cycle
• Gender transformative change for climate action

Event details

Thursday, 14 November 2023   |   14:00-15:30 CET (Rome)   |   Zoom

Conducted in English with simultaneous interpretation in Arabic, French and Spanish

Agenda

Speakers

Alejandra Safa Barraza

Global Coordinator, JP GTA

Anna Jenderedjian

Gender and Social Protection Specialist, Regional Office for Europe and Central Asia, FAO 

Anna Jenderedjian is Gender and Social Protection Specialist at FAO Regional Office for Europe and Central Asia. Within the Gender team, she supports gender mainstreaming in strategic planning  across the regional programming priorities. Anna is also responsible for building staff capacity and generating knowledge for women's empowerment and inclusion. She advises country offices on the design and execution of gender-transformative projects. In addition to her role at FAO, Anna teaches rural sociology and gender courses at the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences at the Ohio State University. She is a social scientist with a PhD in agriculture.

Beth Bechdol

Deputy Director-General, FAO

Beth Bechdol is Deputy Director-General at FAO. Ms Bechdol is responsible for FAO’s work on Emergencies and Resilience, oversees FAO’s work on Resource Mobilization and South-South and Triangular Cooperation, and leads programmes in the area of Plant Production and Protection. Before joining FAO, Ms Bechdol was President and CEO of AgriNovus Indiana, Director of agribusiness strategies at Indianapolis-based law firm Ice Miller LLP and Deputy Director of the Indiana State Department of Agriculture. Ms Bechdol has a bachelor’s degree from Georgetown University in international law and international affairs, and completed her master’s degree at Purdue University in agricultural economics.

Chiqui Arregui

Senior Social Development and Gender Consultant

Chiqui Arregui brings over 25 years of professional experience - 12 of which as an international consultant. She currently works with multilaterals, non-governmental, private, and public sector players to maximize their social performance, including gender equality and women's empowerment. Chiqui is a firm advocate of gender transformative approaches which she routinely integrates in her work to empower individuals, households, and groups. Chiqui holds a MSc in Social Anthropology from the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE).

Clara Mi Young Park

Senior Gender Officer, FAO

Clara Mi Young Park is the Senior Gender Officer and Team Leader of the Gender team in the Rural Transformation and Gender Equality Division of FAO. With over 15 years with the UN, she started her career with civil society organizations working on gender equality and human rights and social development. Prior to moving to FAO HQ, Clara served as the regional Senior Gender Officer of FAO Regional Office for Africa. She also worked as the regional Gender Officer with FAO Regional Office for Near East and North Africa and the Regional Office for Asia Pacific. Clara holds a PhD in Development Studies from the International Institute of Social Studies in The Hague with a focus on feminist political ecology.

Elizabeth Burges-Sims

Head of Policy & Strategic Partnership Engagement (Gender, Protection and Inclusion Service), WFP

Elizabeth (Liz) joined the WFP Gender Office in July 2021. Prior to this, she worked with the Asian Development Bank as the Gender Team Lead for Southeast Asia, at the Caribbean Development Bank as one of two Gender Specialists covering the full portfolio of projects, and with the Government of Canada where she held the positions of Senior Private Sector Development Specialist, Education Team Lead on diplomatic assignment to Mozambique, and Gender Team Lead for Sub-Saharan Africa. As Senior Gender Advisor, Liz is heavily engaged in the development and implementation of WFP’s new ambitious gender policy, and in supporting other units with the integration of gender transformative approaches in current and future WFP policies.

Katherine Meighan

Chief Legal and Governance Officer, Legal Counsel, IFAD

Katherine (Katie) Meighan is the Chief Legal and Governance Officer, Legal Counsel of IFAD with 25+ years of international development experience. As part of the IFAD senior management team, she sets the Fund’s strategy to double IFAD’s impact for the rural poor while scaling up climate adaptation, private sector lending, and IT for development. While serving as IFAD Acting Chief Financial Officer from May 2022 – April 2023 as well as General Counsel, she led the IFAD legal and finance teams on the inaugural bond issuances for the institution, the largest framework loan in IFAD’s history, and emerging development finance topics on increasing debt vulnerability (including potential SDR rechannelling). Meighan is a strong champion of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, having co-created the strategy at IFAD, one of the first UN organizations to do so.

Laura Gualdi

Programme Manager, Unit F.3 – Sustainable Agri-Food Systems and Fisheries, DG INTPA, European Commission

Laura Gualdi is the quality support expert and gender focal point of Unit “Sustainable Agri-Food Systems and Fisheries” at the European Commission Directorate General for International Partnerships (DG INTPA). In the course of the last 15 years she has worked on food security, sustainable agriculture issues from design, monitoring & evaluation, to funding, reporting, knowledge management and communication. Before joining the EU Delegation to Vietnam in 2007, Laura worked for more than 10 years in the private sector on environmental legislation, rural development and agriculture issues linked to the EU accession process and to the EU development cooperation. Ms Gualdi holds a MSc in Agricultural Sciences from the University of Perugia (IT), and a Diploma as Designer of sustainable development projects issued by the Azienda Ricerca e Sviluppo, Regione Umbria (IT).

Lauren Phillips

Deputy Director, Rural Transformation and Gender Equality Division, FAO

Lauren M. Phillips is the Deputy Director for the Rural Transformation and Gender Equality Division at FAO. Prior to joining FAO, Lauren was a Senior Technical Specialist on Policy for IFAD. She was an Assistant Professor in the Department of International Relations at the London School of Economics from 2008 to 2014, and held a visiting post at Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies in Bologna in 2014. Before this, she was a Research Fellow at the Overseas Development Institute. She also worked in private finance and with a major provider of political risk insurance. She started her career with the international NGO, Care. Lauren holds a Ph.D. in International Political Economy from the London School of Economics, a MA in International Policy Studies from Stanford University and a BA in International Relations and Latin American Studies (with honors) from Stanford University. She has published on issues related to the political economy of finance and development.

Loise Waruguru Maina 

Lead Technical Specialist – Gender, Targeting and Social Inclusion, IFAD

Loise Waruguru Maina is currently the Lead Technical Specialist – Gender and Social Inclusion at IFAD. She is a highly experienced gender and social inclusion expert with over 18 year’s professional experience with local and international NGOs and the UN in Africa, Latin America, Middle East, and South Asia. Previously, she has held global leadership roles with various organizations including Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, Practical Action, UN Women and Women for Women International, where she led programmes focused on women's economic empowerment, financial inclusion, inclusive trade, sustainable energy access and climate-resilient agriculture, amongst others. Loise possesses a Master of Arts Degree in Gender and Development from the University of Nairobi, in Kenya, and a Master of Science Degree in Organizational Development from the United States International University - Africa. She has also received the Global GenderPro certification credential from the George Washington University and is undertaking a PhD in Gender and Public Policy at the University of Nairobi. 

Marjeta Jager

Deputy Director-General for International Partnerships, European Commission

Marjeta Jager is currently Deputy Director-General for the Directorate-General for International Partnerships (DG INTPA). Ms Jager has been working in the European Commission since 2005, starting as Director for Security in DG Energy and Transport and later being Director for international energy and transport files and coordination, as well as being Head of Cabinet of the Transport Commissioner. Before joining the Commission, Ms Jager spent more than a decade working on the accession of Slovenia to the EU for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and she was the first Deputy Permanent Representative (Coreper I) of Slovenia to the EU.

Suzanne Edelkamp

Gender and Climate Change Officer, WFP

Suzanne Edelkamp is a part of WFP’s Gender, Protecton and Inclusion service with a focus on gender equality and climate change. Her role involves ensuring a people-centered approach in anticipatory actions and climate shocks, supporting the Gender in Emergencies and GBV workstreams. Suzanne also supports engagement of cooperating partners on gender, protection and inclusion and strengthens the capacities of frontline responders. Suzanne brings experience from her previous roles, including her recent position in the WFP Philippines Country Office, where she led the gender, protection, and inclusion team. Prior to joining WFP, she worked as an Associate Reporting and Donor Relations Officer at UNHCR in Bosnia and Herzegovina and as a Project and Fundraising Officer for an NGO in the Netherlands supporting survivors of conflict-related sexual violence. Suzanne holds a Master’s in International Relations and Diplomacy from Leiden University.

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