International Day of Rural Women on 15 October is a time to celebrate and applaud the role of women in rural development, food production and poverty eradication.
Women in rural communities make an immense contribution to sustainable development in the Commonwealth, particularly in the context of agriculture and rural enterprises.
International Day of Rural Women on 15 October is a time to celebrate and applaud the role of women in rural development, food production and poverty eradication. The promotion of gender equality is central to ensuring that all share the benefits of a productive food system, improved rural livelihoods and a healthy environment for all citizens. Rural women support their households and communities in providing food and water and balanced nutrition, generating income, improving rural livelihoods and overall wellbeing.
This day is also a time to recognise the immense challenges they face. Rural women and girls are disproportionately affected by lack of education, poor amenities, pressures of underdevelopment, and, for many, human rights violations such as child, early and forced marriage, as well as unequal access to land ownership.
Anchored by the Kigali Declaration and the 2013 CHOGM mandate to address the issue of child, early and forced marriage, we commenced a programme of work which includes engaging with traditional leaders and structures in Commonwealth countries to prevent and eradicate child marriage in rural areas. This work focuses on mobilising traditional leadership and governance structures as custodians of traditional customs and cultures to do more to address harmful traditional practices.
The Commonwealth recognises that rural women are mainstays of local and hence national and global economies, and it is critical they are accorded their rightful place as active participants in the efforts to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.
In celebrating all women who live and work in rural communities, and the organisations which support their empowerment, we repeat again the words of the Commonwealth Charter: “Gender equality and women’s empowerment are essential components of human development and basic human rights. The advancement of women’s rights and the education of girls are critical preconditions for effective and sustainable development.”
