You are currently working on IFAD’s policy on gender equality and women’s empowerment. Can you please tell us the three main elements of the policy?

The pursuit of gender equality and women’s empowerment is central to achieving the goals of the Strategic Framework and the IFAD9 replenishment commitment to lift 80 million people out of poverty.

The policy will strengthen IFAD’s position as a leader in promoting gender equality and women’s empowerment in agricultural and rural development and build on the Fund’s longstanding experience.

The main elements of the gender policy are:

• The three strategic objectives: economic empowerment; decision-making and representation; and equitable workload balance; together with the results framework;
  
• The implementation plan for 2012-2015; and
  
• The accountability framework, which sets out the divisional responsibilities for implementation.

What makes the policy different from previous initiatives?

The policy focuses on outcomes rather than processes to deepen the impact for beneficiaries, improve project performance and strengthen the sustainability of IFAD-supported initiatives. The document brings existing initiatives into one place, and sets out clear objectives and comprehensive policy guidance. It also seeks to increase the capacity of IFAD leadership, management and staff to engage in the principles and practice of gender equality within the organization and its programmes.

Why is it so important to improve gender equality and the empower of women?

The evidence demonstrates that, when there is greater gender equality,  there are considerable food and nutrition security benefits. FAO estimates that if women had equal access to productive inputs as that of men, yields on women’s farms would increase by 20-30 per cent and total agricultural output would increase by 2.5-4 per cent in developing countries. This would reduce the number of global hungry by 12-17 per cent, which amounts to between 100 million to 150 million people.

A mother’s education, health and nutritional status – as well as her ability to have an equal say in household decision-making – has a significant impact on the health and nutritional status of her children. This is why we have chosen a reduction in child malnutrition as one of the anchor indicators for the policy.

Gender equality is also smart economics – to coin the World Bank’s phrase. When women are empowered economically, income flows increase. When women’s participation in household decision-making is strengthened, not only does the overall household-asset base increase, but also its composition changes, with women typically spending a higher proportion on food and other items to meet immediate household needs. Similarly, when men become more engaged in household planning for food and nutrition security together with women, households become more food secure.

We should also not forget that societal norms and expectations also prevent men from fulfilling their potential.

Changes in both men and women’s roles and relations are a prerequisite for gender equality. The challenge is to ensure equal opportunities for everyone so that they can engage in development activities, with the opportunity to participate and to share in the benefits. Nevertheless, inequalities are largely experienced by women and selective interventions are needed to level the playing field for them.

What are main messages for IFAD from International Women’s Day ?

This year’s event will highlight the many challenges faced by adolescent girls and young women in rural areas – as well as their great potential to become powerful agents of change. Rural adolescent girls face an unique triple disadvantage of location, gender and age. Social and cultural norms affecting gender roles are often more entrenched in rural areas. For girls this means: a heavy burden of work; fewer opportunities to complete their schooling; and expectations of early marriage, with the attendant risks of poor reproductive health, multiple childbirths, and greater risk of gender-based violence. A significant gender imbalance also exists in HIV prevalence rates among young people.

These challenging circumstances, and a desire for better lives, spur many young rural women to abandon their villages and migrate to urban areas or across borders.

The opportunity for actions that can transform the lives not only of adolescent girls but also those of future generations – as well as spurring economic growth - is one that IFAD should seize and build upon.

A large number of CEOs have committed to the UN Global Compact on Women’s Empowerment Principles that target the private sector to advance decent working conditions and equal opportunities for women. What role can IFAD play in this?

We could turn this question around to ask: What lessons can IFAD learn from these principles for promoting gender and diversity within our organization? The gender policy has one action area that focusses specifically on this topic. IFAD recognizes that gender diversity, as well as diversity in other aspects such as age and nationality, is necessary to increase organizational effectiveness, and we will be working to design and implement gender and diversity strategies during the implementation of the policy.