harnessing the potential of women in the fight against poverty

Harnessing the Potential of Women in the Fight Against Poverty

How to reduce inequalities andadvance the status of rural women

...through...through improved access to: improved access to:

Productive resources

Participation in rural institutions and decision-making

Basic services and rural infrastructure

© IFAD

IFAD’s IFAD’s PerspectivePerspective

IFAD’s IFAD’s PerspectivePerspective

Why do it?Why do it? What are the challenges?What are the challenges? The way aheadThe way ahead

A root cause of poverty: the imbalance between...

What rural women have:What rural women have:

2% of land5% extension

services15% parliamentary

seatsMarginal access to

formal credit Less educationFewerFewer rights rights

What rural women do:What rural women do:

Family care

Domestic work

Agricultural production

Income - generation

Management of household food

security

Natural resources management

NutritionNutrition MaternalmortalityMaternalmortality

Infantmortality

Infantmortality

HIV/AIDSHIV/AIDS

Malaria andother diseases

Malaria andother diseases

Income growthIncome growth

Waterand sanitation

Waterand sanitation

Universalprimary education

Universalprimary education

Gender equality/ women’s

empowerment

Gender equality/ women’s

empowerment

……an opportunity, and an essential condition for achieving the an opportunity, and an essential condition for achieving the Millennium Development GoalsMillennium Development Goals

ODA for basic

services

ODA for basic

services

Reducing inequalities - Empowering women...

Achieving the MDG, empowering women

Global challenges:Global challenges:

More resources, but also

...better planned and better focused

Turning globalization into an opportunity

and not a risk

Mitigating the impact of HIV/AIDS on

women

More of the same is not enoughMore of the same is not enough

IFAD’s challenges:IFAD’s challenges:

Reinforcing field impact

…and achieving a broader catalytic effect

through:through:

IFAD’s achievements:IFAD’s achievements:

Organization and decision-making

Economic empowerment

Improved living conditions

advocacy

policy dialogue

partnerships

Achieving the MDG, empowering women

1.1. Women’s access to productive Women’s access to productive resourcesresources

A matter of• Legal and policy frameworks

but also...

• Gender roles and culture

• Social recognition of women’s rights © IFAD

Achieving the MDG and empowering rural women - Critical issues:

• Enabling conditions

2.2. Women’s participation and decision-making Women’s participation and decision-making

A matter of

• Legal and policy frameworks

• Gender roles and culture

• Quotas?

• Confidence

• Women’s time

• Organization Beyond groups to broader coalitions and sustainable

local institutions

Beyond groups to broader coalitions and sustainable

local institutions

© IFAD

Achieving the MDG and empowering rural women - Critical issues:

3.3. Lack of basic services and rural infrastructure Lack of basic services and rural infrastructure

• A constraint for rural people

But will commitments materialize?

• A special burden for women and girls

• A central MDG concern (22/49 indicators)

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• A limiting factor for women’s advancement

Achieving the MDG and empowering rural women - Critical issues:

How to reduce inequalities andadvance the status of rural women

...through...through improved access to: improved access to:

Productive resources

Participation in rural institutions and decision-making

Basic services and rural infrastructure

© IFAD

IFAD’s IFAD’s PerspectivePerspective

IFAD’s IFAD’s PerspectivePerspective

The way ahead: key questions...

© ASIA

• Which new development approaches?

• What issues to address in advocacy and policy dialogue?

• How to engage men as champions of women’s empowerment?

End

© IFAD