World-renowned violinist, Midori, tells world leaders to believe in the power of women and girls in remote rural communities
World-renowned violinist, Midori, tells world leaders to believe in the power of women and girls in remote rural communities
14 February 2019
Rome, 14 February, 2019 – After performing a work by Johann Sebastian Bach, world-renowned violinist and UN Messenger of Peace, Midori, called on Pope Francis and other world leaders in attendance at the United Nation's International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) annual meeting today to believe in the transformative power of women and girls in underserved remote communities.
Recounting her recent visit to rural villages in Tuyen Quang province, Viet Nam, where an IFAD-supported project has been working to improve rural women's access to training and finance, Midori said, “What I saw was the power of equality, responsibility, and hope. And the difference people can make when they feel in control.”
Midori noted that by having access to rural finance, the women she met said they felt a strong sense of responsibility to participate in building local economies as well as to bring about positive changes in their communities.
Globally, rural women and girls are often more deeply impacted than men and boys by poverty, hunger, malnutrition, food insecurity and global economic crises. They have fewer market opportunities than men, and frequently have weak or non-existent land rights. But, according to a World Bank report, it is estimated that women's food production could increase by 20 to 30 per cent if they had the same access to resources and inputs as men.
In Tuyen Quang province, IFAD has supported women's participation in farming groups and has increased their access to financial services, markets and private agribusiness investors. As a result, the number of rural households suffering from food shortages has been reduced by 25 per cent.
“By talking with the women, I learned that development isn’t just about financial gain; it’s about seeing a future. The women I met weren’t just thinking about today, they were using their money to educate their children and invest in tomorrow,” Midori told the audience.
“It is a very powerful way to address inequality. When I spoke to the girls in the villages, they told me their mothers and aunts were their inspiration; their role models,” she added.
IFAD development experts have found that when gender inequality is addressed and the underlying barriers for women and girls are removed, it is possible to unlock the potential for all people—men, women, boys, and girls—to be equally valued and to lead productive lives.
The Governing Council is IFAD's highest decision-making body. It consists of all of IFAD's 176 Member States and meets annually. Participants at this year’s Governing Council will focus on the theme rural innovation and entrepreneurship. With its specialized mandate of enabling rural transformation, IFAD has an important role to play in creating the conditions for innovation and entrepreneurship to thrive in rural areas.
For more information on Midori’s field visit in Viet Nam:
https://www.ifad.org/en/web/latest/story/asset/40960059
and
Notes to Editor:
The violinist and UN Messenger of Peace Midori is a visionary artist, activist and educator. Since her debut in 1982 with the New York Philharmonic, she has been performing with the world’s great orchestras, such as the Berlin and Vienna Philharmonic, and sharing stages with legendary conductors, including Christoph Eschenbach and Mariss Jansons. For more than 25 years, Midori has founded and led various non-profit organizations that provide music education and the musical experience to young people and underserved communities around the world. Born 1971 in Osaka, she currently lives in Philadelphia, where she is a member of the violin faculty of the Curtis Institute of Music.
Press release No.: IFAD/05/2019
IFAD has invested in rural people for 40 years, empowering them to reduce poverty, increase food security, improve nutrition and strengthen resilience. Since 1978, we have provided about US$20.4 billion in grants and low-interest loans to projects that have reached some 480 million people. IFAD is an international financial institution and a specialized United Nations agency based in Rome – the UN’s food and agriculture hub.
