FAO’s participation at the 2025 UNECE Regional Forum on Sustainable Development

At the 2025 UNECE Regional Forum on Sustainable Development held in Geneva this April, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) highlighted the urgent need to transform agrifood systems in Europe and Central Asia, addressing persistent gender inequalities, digital divides, and water management challenges, amongst others, that continue to jeopardize regional food security.

The Forum focused on "Advancing sustainable, inclusive, science- and evidence-based solutions for the 2030 Agenda and its SDGs for leaving no one behind", while reviewing progress on five Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): 3: Good Health and Well-being; 5: Gender Equality; 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth; 14: Life Below Water, and 17: Partnerships for the Goals.

• Despite progress in legal frameworks, women in agrifood systems continue to face major barriers to land rights. FAO is working to close this gap by helping turn statutory land rights into reality—through awareness-raising, legal aid, and stronger female leadership in land governance.
• Financial exclusion remains also a key challenge, as women face discriminatory norms, limited access to credit, and fewer training opportunities. FAO is promoting gender-responsive financial policies and inclusive business models.
• The impacts of climate change further deepen gender inequalities, with female-headed households suffering greater income losses from heat and floods. FAO’s latest report underscores the urgent need for climate policies that center gender equality and deliver targeted support for women.

"These disparities undermine economic growth and food security", Petrics emphasized.

At the SDG 8 Roundtable, FAO Regional Senior SDG Advisor, Valeria Rocca, identified three major barriers to digital inclusion in agrifood systems:

• Gaps in rural digital infrastructure and internet connectivity
• Inability of smallholders to afford smart farming equipment
• Lack of awareness and skills to use digital tools effectively

FAO’s Digital Villages Initiative seeks to overcome these obstacles by promoting smart agriculture, expanding digital access, and creating new rural livelihood opportunities.

Addressing water security in agrifood system

In partnership with regional stakeholders, FAO launched the "Regional Overview of Food Security and Nutrition in Europe and Central Asia 2024" at the forum. The report highlights how sustainable water management—including water availability, efficiency, quality, and governance—is essential for achieving food security and improving nutrition outcomes. Rewatch the launch event here.

Re-imagining the future of women in food systems

© FAO / Antoine Tardy

A highlight of the forum was a side event co-organized by FAO the UN Food Systems Coordination Hub, the UN Issue-based Coalition on Sustainable Food Systems and the UN Economic Commission for Europe, “Re-imagining the future of women in food systems: harnessing science, technology, and partnership to advance the SDGs", which brought together global leaders and gender experts to discuss persistent gender inequalities and showcase innovative solutions for the empowerment of women in agrifood systems.

Stefanos Fotiou, Director of the FAO Office of SDGs and UN Food Systems Coordination Hub, opened the event with a stark observation—at the current pace, a girl born today may need to reach the age of 97 before she witnesses global gender equality. Fotiou emphasized the need to rethink the very systems that govern our development models, pointing out their historical roots in exclusion, calling for a transformation led by inclusivity and innovation.

Raimund Jehle underlined how women form the backbone of food systems—from rural farms to urban markets—yet remain excluded from decision-making and economic benefits. He stressed the importance of viewing women not merely as beneficiaries but as co-creators of transformation, pointing to the region’s narrowing gender gaps in education as a foundation to build on.

Marianna Bicchieri, FAO Regional Gender Officer, highlighted a fundamental problem: "Women work very hard in agriculture, in their family farms, but their work is not considered work. Their work is considered as help." This misperception has far-reaching consequences, with data showing that women are overrepresented in informal agricultural work and have limited access to land ownership, advisory services, technology, financing and decision-making power. Bicchieri has also highlighted the marked gender inequalities especially in relation to land ownership, access to advisory service and agricultural machinery.

• Only 6.5 to 31 percent of agricultural holdings are managed by women
• 60 to 87 percent of women working in agriculture remain informal or family workers
• Just 10 percent of rural women benefit from advisory services
• A mere 5 percent of women own agricultural machinery

Pathways to Empowerment

© FAO / Antoine Tardy

Despite these systemic challenges, the event highlighted promising initiatives that are creating positive change:

• Ekaterine Zviadadze, Head of Policy and Analysis Department, Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture, Georgia shared how a project supporting homemade dairy production has empowered rural women economically through improved farming practices and business skills development. The results were a 65 percent increase in average milk production, improved animal health, new revenue streams created through cheese production and increased self-confidence among participants.
• Siri Lothe, Specialist Director, Department of Agricultural Policy, Ministry of Agriculture and Food, Norway, described how agricultural cooperatives adopted early quotas for gender parity in leadership, leading to a rise from 6 percent to 30 percent in women’s representation in top management.
• Angela Chiara Corina, Hydrological Adviser of Italy and of the WMO Regional Association, spotlighted the WMO Gender Action Plan. As women are more affected by climate change and water related disasters, this plan aims to integrate a gender perspective into all aspects of hydrology and climate services and achieve at least 40 percent of female representation within all of its working structures to address their under-representation in leadership and decision‑making roles in this critical sector.
• Valbona Mazreku, Executive Director of the Milieukontak organization, Albania, detailed a project that addresses irrigation challenges through solar power installations. The initiative provided farmers with discounted energy for irrigation, trained women in renewable energy systems and business models and developed educational curricula to encourage girls toward careers in the energy sector, empowering women as leaders in the green economy.
• Rita Lousa, secondee to the World Business Council for Sustainable Development, working within the Agriculture and Food pathway, highlighted the growing role of women in the food tech sector. Comprising of 22 percent of food tech startups founders in Europe, to high university enrolment in food technology programmes, women are proving to be powerful innovators, often bringing stronger systems thinking and sustainability focus. Yet, barriers remain—especially in accessing funding with just 3 percent of global startup funding going to women-led companies.
• Aida Jamangulova from Kyrgyzstan’s Agency of Development Initiatives shared how a women-led seed guardians’ network is helping over 700 women farmers. It gives them control over their seeds, preserves traditional farming knowledge, and teaches agro-ecological practices through local field schools. They also started a virtual school and an online marketplace for women farmers.

A Call to Action

The event concluded with practical recommendations to accelerate gender equality in agrifood systems:

• Collect better gender-disaggregated agricultural data
• Challenge stereotypes, reimagining women not just as beneficiaries but as leaders, innovators, and scientists
• Implement gender-inclusive policies to ensure women's representation in governance at all levels
• Create gender-responsive financial mechanisms to address investment gaps

UNECE’s Marit Nilsen, Secretary to the Working Party on Agricultural Quality Standards, summarized the overarching message: gender equality is not a side issue—it is central to sustainable development, climate resilience, and economic vitality. Empowering women is not only morally right, it is economically smart and environmentally necessary. For the millions of women already cultivating the land, driving innovation in labs, and leading change in their communities, the challenge now is to ensure they are not only seen—but also fully recognized, adequately resourced, and meaningfully represented in decision-making at every level of the agrifood system.