Consultation for the development of the CFS Voluntary Guidelines on Gender Equality and Women’s and Girls’ Empowerment in the Context of Food Security and Nutrition

TO PARTICIPATE – send your contribution to FSN-moderator@fao.org or post it on www.fao.org/fsnforum

As promised, here I am to report some of the outputs of the regional consultation for Asia and the Pacific.

We are very satisfied with the active participation during the regional consultation for Asia and the Pacific and we really appreciated the presence of the following keynote speakers: the CFS Chairperson, Mr. Gabriel Ferrero de Loma-Osorio; H.E Lenny N. Rosalin, Deputy Minister for Gender Equality, Ministry of Women’s Empowerment and Child Protection of Indonesia, and Chair of the ASEAN Committee on Women (ACW); Dr. Lok Nath Paudel, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development of Nepal; and Mr. John Aylieff, Regional Director, World Food Programme (WFP), Asia and the Pacific.

As in previous consultations, the second plenary discussion on Day 2, intended to discuss Part 3 of the Zero Draft, started with the three themes/sections identified by participants as priority at the time of registration: Section 3.1 Women’s participation, voice and leadership in policy and decision-making at all levels; Section 3.3 Access to education, capacity building, training, knowledge and information services; and Section 3.4 Women’s economic empowerment in the context of sustainable food systems.

I mention here only some of the many comments received to possibly further stimulate the discussion on the FSN Forum, while I invite you to read the full report on our webpage to learn more.

There was a caution that while promoting women’s economic empowerment is very positive, this should not be at the expense of instrumentalizing women by placing the sole responsibility for food security on their shoulders. A truly transformative approach needs to address systemic inequalities and ensure that women’s triple burden of work is not compounded. What in your experience would help to enable this transformative approach? And who should lead it?

Furthermore, there were calls to include the issue of male out-migration in the draft, and to document and respond to its impacts on the women who are left behind: in particular, we need to understand the challenges and needs of female-headed households. What policies and actions could be of help in addressing them?

On intersectionality and multi-dimensional approaches, there were calls to move beyond a gender binary approach and to reflect the specific needs of LGBTI people and others facing discrimination. These issues were raised several times during the regional consultations. However, there were some debates on this among the participants and a call to use only internationally agreed terms. I appreciated a useful clarification from a participant that we need to ensure non-discrimination to ensure no-one is left behind on the grounds of race, gender identity, religion and other differences.

Finally, I have very good news. At the request of some participants, we have been able to extend the deadline for this e-consultation to November 30th.

So, I warmly invite you to post your comments, if not already done, or in the hope that my questions have stimulated further reflection.

Thank you and see you soon!

Marina

CSM-HIC-Mena, Egypt

Hala posts comments from the Civil Society Mechanism’s women regional group for the Arab states in Northern Africa and the Middle East. The contribution highlights the relationship between neoliberal economic policies and successive crises in terms of food sovereignty. It also includes the suggestion to add a paragraph on the importance of women’s agricultural knowledge for an adequate understanding of ecosystems and the impact of global warming on local flora and fauna.
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Tel Hai College, Foreign Ministry of Israel, Israel

According to Amber, the document should include more practical examples and guidance as to how issues faced by women and girls could be addressed. She also points to the need to include training in nutrition and gardening in school curricula.
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Morination Agricultural Products, Philippines

In her first post, Sharon Jean shares comments from the Private Sector Mechanism, which include the following major points of attention: a) promotion of national policies that ensure legal equality for women; b) provision of access to proper maternal health services and a focus on nutrition in the first 1000 days of life; c) facilitation of women’s access to agricultural extension and adequate banking services; and d) support for organizations that help women in undertaking marketing and value addition activities.
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In her second post, Sharon Jean shares feedback related to experiences of her company, Morination Agricultural Products. These comments focus on how pursuing corporate and sustainable development goals while taking into account women’s needs creates benefits for all. Sharon Jean also believes that companies’ best practices in terms of inclusiveness and sustainability should be included in the Guidelines.
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Proyecto Camino Verde, Costa Rica

Manuel highlights that although in some areas, achievements have been made in promoting gender equality and women’s and girls’ empowerment, many challenges remain. He believes that in order to break down the present barriers to gender equality, legally binding conventions should be established.
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India

With regard to question 1, Shameem stresses, inter alia, that the scope of violence should be expanded to include multiple gender identities. In relation to Part 3 of the Zero Draft, Shameem provides detailed comments on how the text could be improved. For instance, in section 3.2 on the elimination of violence and discrimination against women, she believes that violence by the state and violence at the workplace should be considered. With reference to section 3.9 on social protection and food and nutrition assistance, Shameem discusses an example of a community-led social protection measure implemented in Myanmar.
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Eni, Italy

Alessia posts a contribution by Eni. Regarding the core principles that should underpin the Guidelines, Eni suggests including the document “Gender Dimensions for the Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights” published the UN Working Group on Business and Human Rights and UNDP in the reference documents. Eni also shares specific comments on Part 3 of the Zero Draft. For instance, referring to section 3.1 on women’s participation, voice and leadership in policy- and decision-making, Eni points out that it may be good to call upon States to make sure that women and girls are adequately involved in consultation and decision-making processes for any issue that potentially affects their food security and nutrition.
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Conab, Brazil

Erli shares a contribution in which he discusses projects that involve women’s cooperatives in Brazil.
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World Vision Australia, Australia

Rob posts feedback from World Vision Australia, which stresses that the policy areas for consideration lack articulation and that Part 4 on implementation and monitoring of the use and application of the Guidelines could include more practical guidance. Furthermore, the contribution discusses some other points for consideration. For instance, a more thorough exploration of how women are especially vulnerable to the effects of climate change, and the gender-specific challenges of climate change adaptation, would better integrate these Voluntary Guidelines with COP26, SDGs and NDCs. Last, urban-rural disparity, disability inclusion and gender diversity could be better explored throughout the Guidelines.
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University of Sao Paulo, Brazil

Suani highlights the issue of energy poverty, pointing out that a lack of access to energy for cooking mainly affects the health of women and children. Policies are needed that improve access to energy and incentivize more efficient and sustainable energy sources. In this context, taking an intersectional approach is very important, as energy poverty affects in particular black women and traditional and low-income populations, both in rural areas and on the outskirts of large urban centers.
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