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March 28, 2018
CSW’s 2018 Session to Focus on Rural Girls and Women



Priority Theme for the March Conference Reflects Many of SDG Fund’ Priorities

In Bangladesh, the SDG Fund is providing rural women with jobs, skills training and a group savings model so they can invest successfully. In Ethiopia, we are supporting female farmers in rural areas through training, supplies, financing and access to information. In Sri Lanka, our rice fortification program aims to reach women in need of nutrient-rich food, so they can be empowered to live healthier lives and help their children do the same.

Achieving gender equality and empowering rural girls and women are key elements of SDG Fund’s work. These issues are at the heart of many of our 22 joint programs around the world, so we are thrilled with the main focus of this year’s session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW). Held in New York each March, the 62nd annual event will focus on “challenges and opportunities in achieving gender equality and the empowerment of rural women and girls.”

As the UN Secretary General’s recent report indicates, rural women consistently fare worse than rural men and urban women when it comes to various indicators. Empowering this group is essential if we want to achieve the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) which provides a blueprint to protect humanity and our planet by ending poverty, inequality and tackling climate change. SDG 5, which focuses on gender equality and the empowerment of all girls and women, is linked to all other goals and targets. We cannot eradicate hunger, eliminate poverty or achieve gender equality if we do not empower girls and women in rural areas around the world.

At SDG Fund, we have deeply embedded gender equality in all of our work. In Bangladesh, for example, we understand how critical it is for women to have a steady income, so they can support themselves and their children. Our program, which focuses on extremely poor female-headed households, includes a group savings model, so participants can save and invest their earnings. As a result, most of our participants started some kind of income-generating activity, and have become more independent. This is critical given that the majority of them are widowed, divorced, have been abandoned or have a husband with a serious disability.


In Ethiopia, where we are working with more than 2,000 women farmers and agro-pastoralists in rural areas, many women are not represented in key community groups and decision-making progresses. So our program included gender sensitivity training and the establishment of the Ethiopian Network for Gender Equality in Agriculture. Ensuring women are at the table is not only beneficial for them and their families, but helps unleash their communities and the entire country’s economic potential.

In Sri Lanka, where we are improving nutrition through rice fortification, our program surveys include pregnant and lactating women because we know that women can influence the health of an entire household. If we can ensure women have access to nutrient-rich food, this can also improve the health of their children, households and communities.

CSW is right to include challenges in its theme, as there are many when it comes to working in rural communities. The Secretary-General’s report points out structural barriers, as rural girls and women are often overlooked or ignored in laws, policies, budgets and investments. Far too often, they are not included in leadership and decision-making, which further marginalizes them. They are also disproportionately affected by poverty and climate change, and have unequal access to resources, services and information. Because many of them have less education, skills and training, they are also more vulnerable; early marriage, violence and other harmful practices are more common among this group.

These challenges are real and often severely impact progress. Hopefully, this CSW session will not only find ways to confront them, but highlight initiatives that have been successful at lifting rural girls and women out of poverty and giving than an opportunity to thrive. If we are truly serious about tackling the world’s global problems, we must reach and empower every girl and woman.