The Permanent Mission Of Spain And The Ngo Afammer For Co...

Thank you Florence. Your Excellencies, Distinguished Panelists and guests, Ladies and Gentlemen, I’m very pleased to participate in this side event and I’d like to thank the Permanent Mission of Spain and the NGO AFAMMER for co-organizing this discussion on an issue that is really critical for sustainable development. As we know, women are the face of poverty, in particular rural poverty, due to their lower access to productive resources and assets, capabilities and decent paid employment. What’s more, persistent, multiple economic and social inequalities have exacerbated the feminization of poverty in rural areas. Women comprise an estimated 43 per cent of the agricultural labour force in developing countries, and roughly 50 per cent in sub-Saharan Africa and Eastern Africa [1]. They produce most of the locally consumed food and are responsible for household food security in many areas [2]. Yet in most of the developing world the majority of women in rural areas remain poor, hungry and powerless. They eat least, and last, in many communities. Although women have equal property rights in 115 countries and equal inheritance rights in 93 countries [3], gender inequality in landholdings remain widespread in all regions. And women farmers receive only 5 per cent of available credit [4]. As recent MDG reports show, rural women fare worse than rural men and urban women and men, across all the MDGs. As we know, the low levels of skilled assistance at delivery is a leading