Reinforcing rural women’s rights amid 2030 Agenda adoption

Gendered threats to rural women’s right to food and nutrition are inextricably intertwined with the pervasive patriarchal norms and practices that discriminate against women and girls, reads a civil society submission to the Commission on the Status of Women.

On the occasion of the 62nd session of the Commission on the Status of Women, FIAN International, as Secretariat of the Global Network for the Right to Food and Nutrition (GNRTFN), together with another 25 organizations, submitted a written contribution on rural women’s right to food and nutrition.

The submission highlighted that gendered threats to rural women’s RTFN are inextricably intertwined with the pervasive patriarchal norms and practices that discriminate against women and girls. It also pointed to the current economic and development model, as it is generally known to be rent-seeking, exploitative of people and natural resources, and highly growth-oriented.

In particular, the submission focused on the threats to the livelihoods of rural women producers, the lack of access to decent work for rural women workers, and the importance of sexual and reproductive health and rights for the full realization of women’s RTFN. It also looked into the precarious situation of indigenous women and girls, the historical isolation of the RTFN from women’s rights within legally-binding language of key international human rights treaties, and finished with key demands for achieving rural women’s RTFN.

The submission takes place in the context of the formal adoption of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. This marks the beginning of a new phase of monitoring development as all countries work to translate the SDGs – including Goal 2 on Zero Hunger and Goal 5 on Gender Equality – into their respective national contexts. At the same time, it offers an opportunity for civil society to remind States of the need to maintain human rights, as well as address the structural causes of hunger and malnutrition, and the effective participation of women in all monitoring.

1. Asian-Pacific Resource and Research Centre for Women (ARROW)*

 2. Urgenci

3. Women’s UN Report Network (WURN) – The Tandem Project*

4. Society for International Development (SID)*

5. World Council of Churches (WCC)

6. Commission of the Churches on International Affairs (CCIA)*

7. Terra Nuova

8. YAC Nepal

 9. POSCO Pratirodh Sangram Samiti (PPSS)

10. WhyHunger

11. Women Lanka Network in Sri Lanka

 12. El Centro de Documentación en Derechos Humanos “Segundo Montes Mozo S.J.” (CSMM), member of Plataforma Interamericana de Derechos Humanos, Democracia y Desarrollo (PIDHDD) 13. Sindicato Andaluzo de Trabajadores/as (SAT) – member of La Via Campesina

14. ACTUAR - Association for Cooperation and Development

15. Biowatch South Africa

16. Intercontinental Network for the Promotion of Social Solidarity Economy (RIPESS)*

 17. CIDSE*

18. Programme on Women’s Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights (PWESCR)*

19. ACTUAR - Association for Cooperation and Development

20. REALIMENTAR - Portuguese Civil Society Network for Food Security and Food Sovereignty  21. REDSAN-CPLP - Regional Civil Society Network for Food Security and Nutrition in the Community of Portuguese Speaking Countries

22. ICCO Cooperation

23. International Women’s Rights Action Watch – Asia Pacific (IWRAW-AP)

24. Geneva Infant Feeding Association (GIFA)

25. Comité de América Latina y el Caribe para la Defensa de los Derechos de las Mujeres (CLADEM)

http://www.righttofoodandnutrition.org/reinforcing-rural-womens-rights-amid-2030-agenda-adoption
http://www.fian.org/fileadmin/media/publications_2017/Letters_and_statements/CSW_Written_Submission__20171020.pdf

 The present document is based, inter alia, on the joint FIAN International submission to the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women for its General Discussion on Rural Women during its 56th Session in October 2013 and highlights the structural causes for violations of rural women’s right to food and nutrition and related human rights.