At CSW69, UN Rome-based Agencies indicate pathways to rights-based food security and nutrition for women

“If you don’t have progress, there is no pushback” – with these cautionary words, Her Excellency Bineta Diop, Special Envoy of the Chairperson of the African Union Commission on Women, Peace and Security, encouraged participants of a side event during the 69th session of the Committee on the Status of Women (CSW69) to scale up pathways towards gender equality, food security and resilient agrifood systems, highlighting the particular vulnerability of women and girls in conflict zones.

Other speakers emphasized women’s right to food, based on the CFS Voluntary Guidelines on Gender Equality and Women’s and Girls’ Empowerment and the earlier Voluntary Guidelines on the Right to Food, which just celebrated their 20th anniversary. These are crucial vehicles to integrate gender-responsive strategies into policies and programming to realize the right to adequate food for all.

“All people have the right to be free from hunger and malnutrition in all forms. Yet gender-based inequalities in agrifood systems continue to impede women and girls’ right to adequate and nutritious food,” said Lauren Phillips, Deputy Director for Rural Transformation and Gender Equality at the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), who moderated the event.

The side event was organized during the high-level week of CSW69 on 12 March 2025 in New York by the United Nations Rome-based Agencies – FAO, WFP and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) – in collaboration with the Republic of Malawi and Nepal. In both countries, the Rome-based Agencies have been collaborating on joint programmes to accelerate economic empowerment and bring transformative change for women and their communities.

Ally-Raza Qureshi, New York Office Director for the World Food Programme (WFP) explained that across the world, women and girls continue to experience higher rates of hunger and malnutrition. They make up 60% of the world's chronically malnourished population, and the gender gap in food insecurity more than doubled since the COVID-19 pandemic.

On behalf of the Government of Nepal, His Excellency Nawal Kishor Sah Sudi, Minister of Women, Children and Senior Citizens, highlighted that integrating gender justice into his country’s legal frameworks and policies has proven successful in offering women and men equal opportunities to contribute to and benefit from Nepal’s food systems.

The Republic of Malawi was represented by the Minister of Gender, Community Development and Social Welfare, Her Excellency Jean Sendeza. The Minister underscored Malawi’s focus on transformative strategies centred on human rights and gender equality, including gender-sensitive policies, inclusive social protection programmes, climate-resilient agriculture and cross-sectoral partnerships.

A panel discussion featured the Hon. Sahar Albazar, member of parliament and Deputy Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Arab Republic of Egypt, who highlighted her country’s efforts to empower women in agrifood systems, and Jean Enriquez Rosales, Executive Director for the Coalition Against Trafficking in Women (Asia Pacific), who elaborated upon the close link between food security and protection from sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment for women.

In closing, Juan Carlos Mendoza, Director of the Environment, Climate and Gender Division for IFAD, remarked: “Achieving sustainable rural transformation requires a comprehensive approach that not only enhances agricultural productivity and market access, but also emphasizes nutrition security, environmental sustainability and the equitable access to resources. This ensures that the benefits of agricultural advancements reach all members of rural communities, including women and girls.”