Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations
Background
The mandate of the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations (FAO) is to raise levels of nutrition, improve agricultural productivity, better the lives of rural populations and contribute to the growth of the world economy.
Areas of Focus
FAO seeks to promote gender equality and reduce discrimination against women through various activities that also support the elimination of violence against women. Activities focus on the reinforcement of food security and the economic rights of women, mainly by promoting their access to and management of economic resources, the reduction of women’s workload, access to healthcare, education, training and information, and the promotion of women’s participation in decision-making processes. In agriculture and rural settings where FAO operates, GBV is a pervasive and persistent reality.
Resources
- Understanding the gender-related impact of the crisis in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank for an inclusive response Briefing note on the Occupied Palestinian Territory (2024)
- The status of women in agrifood systems. (2023)
- Eliminating gender-based violence and protecting rural communities through food security and agricultural interventions – Brief (2023)
- Complementary Information Note - Gender-related impacts of the Ukraine Conflict (2022)
- Practical guide on how to eliminate gender-based violence and protect rural communities through food security and agriculture interventions - Guidance for FAO staff and partners (2022)
- Paving the way to build the resilience of men and women. How to conduct a gender analysis of resilience. Rome. (2019)
- Protection from gender-based violence in food and nutrition security interventions (2018)
- How can food security interventions contribute to reducing gender-based violence? (2016)
- GUIDANCE NOTE Gender, food security and nutrition in protracted crises Women and girls as agents of resilience (2016)
- A gender-responsive approach to disaster risk reduction (DRR) planning in the agriculture sector. Guidance for supporting rural women and men to build resilience in the face of disasters
FAO promotes Safe Access to Fuel and Energy initiatives as part of the emergency response during the ongoing conflict in South Sudan. The responsibilities for collecting fuel and cooking are usually shouldered by women and girls, tasks that in crisis settings are particularly dangerous and time-consuming: during the time spent walking long distances to collect the required fuelwood, women and girls are exposed to the risk of assault, harassment and rape. In order to address the cooking energy needs of vulnerable families, and protect women and girls from GBV, FAO and partners have distributed over 2 000 fuel-efficient stoves and trained 820 women on how to use them. A further 15 000 stoves are expected to be distributed in 2016 as part of the Emergency Livelihood Response Programme. Furthermore, during 2015, FAO conducted two assessments on the fuel and energy-related challenges faced by communities in Kenya (Kakuma, Turkana County, Samburu, Kitui, Meru and Marsabit Counties) and two districts of Somalia (Hargheisa and Doolow). The studies assessed the fuel types used by households, types of cooking technologies used as well as the specific risks and challenges faced by women who are responsible for cooking, firewood collection, charcoal production and selling of woodfuels. The key findings and analysis have informed the development and design of programmes and initiatives which, amongst other things, seek to prevent or reduce the risk of intra-communal and inter-communal tension and conflict over the use of natural resources, and the prevalence of gender based violence.