Roundtable on. Rural Women SALTA, AUGUST 3RD CO-HOST RURAL DEVELOPMENT TOPIC CHAIR

Transcription

1 Roundtable on Rural Women SALTA, AUGUST 3RD RURAL DEVELOPMENT TOPIC CHAIR CO-HOST

2 Index WHAT WE HAVE DONE SO FAR 3 RURAL WOMEN CONCEPT NOTE 4 Introduction 4 Rural women in the world 5 Rural women s contributions to society 6 Inequalities that affect rural women 7 RURAL WOMEN POLICY BRIEFS 11 Gender equality, food security and climate change: a closer look at the linkages (abstract) 11 Gender and Infrastructure (abstract) 12 MAIN PRIORITIES TO DEVELOP RECOMMENDATIONS 13 Introduction 13 WHAT IS NEXT 19 2

3 What we have done so far + We built a common diagnosis for Rural Women in a Concept Note which was written between W20, our Topic-Chair (UN Women), Knowledge Partners (Aapresid, Grupos Países Productores del Sur and Marianne) and the Co-Chair (IICA). It was later shared with the delegates through Mango so they could provide feedback. Three months later, it was edited considering the delegate s comments and suggestions. + A survey was developed in order to define the priority areas for each of the four topics. To do so, we took Germany s Implementation Plan and added a few of our own concerns, to choose the recommendations we thought would be more successful based on the G20 priorities this year. + W20 organized 11 webinars to generate debates and idea-sharing, four of them were related to rural women: 1) The use of technology for the financial inclusion of women by Rachel Samren, EVP Chief External Affairs Officer at Millicom. 2) Existing law restrictions for gender equality in G20 countries by Nayda Almodovar Reteguis, Legal Analyst at World Bank based on Women, Business and the Law. 3) Blockchain solutions to address gender inequity in supply chains of emerging markets, by Ashish Gadnis, Founder/ CEO of BanQu. 4) The importance of investing in infrastructure for the development of rural women, by Veronica Raffo, Senior Infrastructure Specialist in the Transport and Digital Development Global Practice at the World Bank. + Our W20 team, Chairs and experts delivered Policy Briefs based on what the delegates voted and on the priorities of the G20 and all engagement and government groups. The main goal is to produce strong, short documents based on the recommendations agreed on. + We have elaborated a draft version of the Communiqué which was shared with the delegates last week in order to get their feedback; especially from those who were not able to come to the roundtable. This draft will be the basis for the writing session of the roundtable. 3

4 Rural Women Concept Note INTRODUCTION Rural women play important roles in the production of food, sustainment of their families and strengthening of rural communities. However, they are at a disadvantage compared to rural men and urban women and face multiple and interrelated structural and cultural barriers that limit the realization of their human rights and their economic empowerment. Implementing policies to improve the living conditions of rural women and girls, fulfil their human rights and promote their economic and political empowerment are essential to the achievement of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals. Progress in achieving gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls in rural areas (SDG 5) is linked to other goals, including ending poverty in all its forms (Goal 1), eradicating hunger, achieving food security, improving nutrition 4

5 Rural women in the world Rural women represent a quarter of the world s population and play a crucial role in sustaining their families and in maintaining and/or improving rural livelihoods. However, they face persistent and systematic barriers that prevent them from fully enjoying their human rights and hinder their efforts to improve their lives. As stated by the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women in its General recommendation No. 34 on the rights of rural women, globally, and with few exceptions, on every gender and development indicator for which data are available, rural women fare worse than rural men and urban women and men, and rural women disproportionately experience poverty and exclusion. The lack of access to land, productive resources, infrastructure, roads, connectivity, safe drinking water, education, health and justice experienced in rural areas affect women disproportionately (Soldbrig, Paarlberg, Di Castri, 2001). These inequalities are accentuated due to the scarce inclusion of women in decision-making in both the private and public spheres. Unequal access to resources and opportunities generates obstacles for their human development, economic empowerment and the reduction of poverty in rural areas. Therefore, rural women represent a group that needs to be at the center of the design of integral and coordinated public policies. Women account for 43% of the world s agricultural workforce. Most rural women workers are unpaid family workers or self-employed and exposed to precarious jobs and low pay. They are paid on average 25% less than men. This is mainly related to the fact that informality and unpaid family work are very much present in rural economies. The significant involvement of women in agriculture points to the importance of designing and implementing programs to improve their empowerment and productive capacity in the agricultural sector, including more access to productive resources, technical assistance, land tenure security and access to, ownership of, and control over land, forests, and access to and participation in local, regional and international markets, as highlighted in the Agreed Conclusions of the sixty-second session of the Commission on the Status of Women. However, in terms of defining rural women, it is important to acknowledge that rural women are far from being a homogenous group. Rural women have different ethnic origins, including indigenous, native or afro-descendant, but also vary immensely in the activities they carry out: farmers, hunters, gatherers, 6

6 fisherwomen, artisans, waged-employees or employers. Evidence from developing countries highlights the importance of non-farm activities in the income-generating portfolio of rural households: the literature indicates that they account for 42% of the income of rural households in Africa, 40% in Latin America and 32% in Asia. This heterogeneity should be considered when designing policies towards increasing their economic empowerment and improving their quality of life. Even though rural women face familiar challenges and vulnerabilities, it is important to recognize that there are inequalities within this group. There are successful business women who can have a key role in mentoring other women and influencing public policy. On the other hand, indigenous, afro-descendant and migrant rural women are especially affected by inequalities and discrimination, as well as rural women with disabilities and those of advanced age. Policies and services to promote their inclusion should be gender sensitive and also culturally sensitive and adapted to their particular needs and contexts. Rural women s contributions to society Rural women play a decisive role in the support of families, the strengthening of communities and the generation of food. In developing countries, the agricultural sector has suboptimal returns partly because women do not have access to the resources and opportunities they need to increase their productivity. If women had access to the same productive resources as their male counterparts, average yields would increase between 20-30%, and hunger would decrease by 12-17%. Therefore, reducing gender inequalities and promoting the economic empowerment of women is of the utmost importance for increasing food security, reducing malnutrition and eliminating poverty. The effects would be substantial in rural areas, where 80% of the world s poor and undernourished people live. Despite their contribution to food production, women and girls are disproportionately affected by food insecurity and malnutrition due to their limited access to nutritious food and key productive resources. Women also make an essential contribution in a wide range of activities that support agricultural development, such as soil and water conservation, afforestation and crop domestication. As highlighted in the Food Policy Research Institute report, women have an essential role in food security both as producers and food providers of families, and as contributors to the nutritional security of households. Women report higher human capital investments in the form of health, nutrition and education for their children than their male counterparts. Traditionally, women have been responsible for 6

7 domestic work, raising children, caring for sick, elderly and disabled people. This situation is accentuated for rural women, because in addition to actively participating in field production, garden plots and the care of livestock, they perform tasks related to the supply of food, water and fuel for cooking food. Inequalities that affect rural women Rural women and girls face multiple and interrelated inequalities related to structural and cultural factors and forms of discrimination that generate obstacles for their human development and economic empowerment. The Commission on the Status of Women in its sixty-second session recognizes that progress in achieving gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls, in particular in rural areas, and the realization of their human rights has been held back owing to the persistence of historical and structural unequal power relations between women and men, poverty, inequalities and disadvantages in access to, ownership of and control over resources, growing gaps in equality of opportunity and limited access to universal health-care services and secondary and post-secondary education, gender-based violence, discriminatory laws and policies, negative social norms and gender stereotypes, and the unequal sharing of unpaid care and domestic work. It stresses the urgency of eliminating those structural barriers in order to realize gender equality and empower rural women and girls. The main obstacle for most communities or rural areas is, without a doubt, isolation caused by distances and lack of infrastructure. Many producers suffer from the lack of an asphalted or safe road network, and therefore, can become isolated in times of rain with serious consequences for access to health and education centers. At the same time, the cost of transport also increases the cost of commercialization and technical assistance necessary for the development of production. The lack of infrastructure affects not only mobility, but also communication, connectivity and access to basic services, including electricity, water, health, education, care services, among others. One of the areas in which the lack of infrastructure has significant effects is access to water, both for human consumption and for production. This has a differential burden on women, who are usually responsible for providing water to the family. In a study of 25 countries in sub-saharan Africa, UNICEF and WHO estimated that women spend a combined total of at least 16 million hours each day collecting drinking water, compared to 6 million hours spent by men. The lack of water harvesting and storage systems needed to ensure production generate difficulties for productive development, in addition to the effects of climate change that result in prolonged droughts alternating with intense rains and adversely affect agricultural production. The lack of schools and health centers in rural areas limits access to essential services and has very serious consequences on the health of women and children and their education. In Argentina, for example, in many localities, the lack of nearby educational centers forces families to send 5-year-old children 7

8 to other communities so that they can access schools, sending them at relatives' homes or to boarding schools, causing great suffering to both parents as well as children. This situation leads to the uprooting of children, who grow up, and end up settling in the new communities. The abandonment of countryside by the families, who do not want to send their children away at such an early age, accentuate migrations from rural areas to cities, increasing urban poverty. Women in rural areas are in general affected negatively by the lack of nearby and quality services, including education, health care, justice and prevention of and protection from violence. Women make up over two-thirds of the world s 796 million people who are illiterate, and many of them live in rural areas. Evidence indicates that rural girls are less likely to attend secondary school than rural boys, and they are far less likely to attend school than urban girls. This has consequences on their possibilities of securing a sustainable livelihood, as well as on their health. Ensuring literacy and education is crucial for the development and empowerment of rural women, and for the reduction of poverty and hunger. Overall, rural and indigenous populations have less access to sexual and reproductive health than urban populations. Prenatal care has improved for rural women, but it is still below women in urban areas. Between 1990 and 2008, the proportion of rural women who received prenatal care at least once during pregnancy increased from 55% to 66%, while the same proportion for urban women rose from 84% to 89% in the same period. Young girls residing in rural areas have up to three times higher pregnancy rates than young girls in urban areas. Nowadays, approximately 40% of the world s population is less than 25 years old, therefore, there is an urge to especially consider the needs of rural women and girls when it comes to unwanted pregnancies, sexually transmitted diseases, HIV, and maternal mortality, among others. The lack of access to comprehensive high-quality health services and education threatens rural women s wellbeing and has a huge impact on the development of societies. There is a lot to gain by improving access to reproductive health and services for rural women. Rural women face the risk of being victims of violence. The high proportion of women without income are especially vulnerable due to the lack of economic autonomy. Also, difficulties in accessing justice and protective services in rural areas generate additional vulnerabilities. Even when legal services are available, providing legal aid can be particularly challenging because of distance, lack of access to transportation, lack of awareness of the kinds of services and help that legal aid can provide, lack of culturally sensitive services, fear of being discriminated or re-victimized, leading to serious under reporting of gender-based violence. In some areas, traditions such as female genital mutilation place girls even at a greater risk. In this context, the lack of social protection and the reduced economic autonomy of rural women make them less prone to seek justice or abandon violent relationships, especially when they have children. 8

9 Although rural women contribute significantly to the development of communities, as farmers, waged-workers, entrepreneurs or as businesswomen, they are more affected by the burden of unpaid work and care activities due the traditional roles attributed to women in rural areas. These are based on stereotyped gender roles, combined with limited infrastructure and access to services. Rural women have longer working days than rural men and urban women due to this increased burden of unpaid domestic work, including activities related to care, food production and water provision. This restricts rural women s possibilities of labor inclusion. Traditional roles also explain the high proportion of women who work as unpaid family workers, generate intrahousehold inequalities and women s access to and control over productive resources, including land. Land ownership is a fundamental means of emancipation since it ensures greater economic independence and enables women to earn greater recognition in society, the family, and the community, which is associated with increased participation of women in decision-making. However, there is lack of data on land ownership. Current statistical data available capture information on the person in charge of the agricultural holding (person who declares him or herself to be in charge of the farm, making the majority of decisions, etc.), regardless of land tenure, with only one possible holder per agricultural unit or farm. Using this proxy indicator, equality in women s access to land is still a long way off. At a global level, the percentage of women in charge of agricultural holdings is 12.8%, with different percentages by region: 15.4% in Sub-Saharan Africa, 4.9% in Middle East and North Africa, 18.2% in Latin American and the Caribbean, 10.9% in South and East Asia and 27.6% in Europe and Central Asia. Gender inequality in the distribution of assets in rural areas is substantial and its causes are related to male preference in inheritance, male privilege in marriage, and gender bias in community and state programs of land distribution. Men usually own land, and moreover, when both men and women own land, men tend to own larger and better-quality parcels. In addition to limited land tenure and land tenure security, rural women also face other barriers for labor inclusion in decent conditions, including limitations to access to markets, to productive resources (including natural resources and water, machinery, technology, tools, etc.), to technical assistance, to financial resources, and difficulties for commercializing products. Furthermore, rural women tend to work in informal labor conditions and lack social security. Financial inclusion, especially access to credit is very much linked to having collateral, usually in the form of land ownership. Therefore, rural women, who are disproportionately underrepresented among tenants, have limited possibilities to access credit, savings, and other financial services. The inclusion of rural women into financial services requires a reduction of the barriers that systematically leave them underserved. 9

10 Isolation in rural areas is also determined by the lack of digital inclusion and access to ICTs. In rural areas in countries throughout the world, mobile phone signal does not reach all locations. In addition to access, it is important to promote digital literacy in rural areas and also plans to ensure effective incorporation of ICTs for productive development with gender equality. Adults, men and women, are often excluded from computer training because digital literacy programs are specifically implemented in schools for young people. It is important to ensure rural women have access to the opportunities provided by technologies. Having connectivity and being able to access and use mobile devices allow rural women to stay connected with their families, reduces isolation, improves their health, increases their participation in community-life, and widens their possibilities for economic participation. Digitization provides different alternatives for rural women to improve their livelihoods, from education opportunities, access to markets or access to traditional and non-traditional financing institutions. Rural women and their contribution to development continue to be invisible and underestimated due to important limitations in statistical systems. More sex-disaggregated data is needed to monitor gender gaps in rural development for establishing policies to promote gender equality and economic growth. Even when data are disaggregated by sex, they are rarely also disaggregated by urban and rural contexts. In addition, rural dynamics and women s roles sometimes require different types of indicators to monitor progress than those commonly used. Disaggregated data by age, ethnicity, migratory condition and other characteristics are even more difficult to find and are necessary to understand the increased vulnerabilities and inequalities faced by certain groups of women, including indigenous, afro-descendant and migrant women, and to design and monitor public policies and programs to promote their empowerment and fulfilment of their rights. These inequalities and barriers that limit rural women s economic empowerment are factors that explain the increased poverty observed in rural areas, faced by women and women-led households. Additionally, they lead to climate change impacting rural women disproportionately. Several underlying factors increase women s vulnerability to the impacts of climate change, including limited livelihood options, restricted access to education and basic services and discriminatory customary practices. Rural women are also likely to suffer higher disaster-related mortality and carry the burden of the long-term impacts of loss of land and security as a result of climate change. Rural women s knowledge is key to build resilience to climate change and its impacts, such as flooding, deforestation, reduction of agricultural production. The participation of women in climate change policies is also strategic in terms of disaster management and warning systems, as women are more inclined to networking. 10

11 Rural Women Policy Briefs Gender equality, food security and climate change: a closer look at the linkages (abstract) The agriculture sector is underperforming in many developing countries, and one of the key reasons is that women do not have equal access to the resources and opportunities they need to be more productive. Empowering women and closing gender gaps are central to the 2030 Agenda1. Particularly the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs )1, 2, 5 and 13, on gender equality, poverty, food security and climate change are mutually reinforcing. We must promote gender equality and empower women in agriculture to achieve sustainable development, prosperity and growth

12 + Women play a pivotal role in the three components of food security: food availability (production), food access (distribution), and food utilization. Women also make an essential contribution in a wide range of activities that support agricultural development, such as soil and water conservation, afforestation and crop domestication. Moreover, women have a fundamental role in ensuring food security and enhancing agricultural productivity. It is therefore important that the response to climatic stresses on the agriculture sector is not limited by gender-based constraints. + Gender equality and land tenure security are crucial concerns for the sustainable development process. In developing countries, rural land is often undocumented, making it vulnerable to land grabbing. Almost 70% of the world s population lacks access to land registration systems and for many women, especially in rural areas, it is very difficult to get proof of land ownership. + The lack of sex-disaggregated data invisibilizes women and depends on a generalized lack of recognition of women as farmers (they are recognized as rural workers within the family group). There are also important limitations on availability of sex-disaggregated data on land tenure, as statistics do not capture information on property but rather on holder per Agricultural Unit. + If women farmers were given the same access to resources (such as finance) as men, women s agricultural yields could increase by 20%to 30%; national agricultural production could rise by 2.5%to 4%; the number of malnourished people could be reduced by 12% to 17%. + Women are the most affected by the effects of climate change, and at the same time they have a great capacity for management, networking and are therefore, strategic in disaster management and alert systems, accessing to ICTs. Gender and Infrastructure (abstract) Economic infrastructure provides a strong foundation for economic and social development. However, building new roads, expanding electricity grids and improving water supply services do not automatically foster women s well-being. The unequal division of roles in the labor market and division of time spent on domestic tasks can have an impact on the way women and men use or need certain types of infrastructure. Specifically in rural areas, women pay a high price for the lack of infrastructure, which constrains their access to public services like justice, education and health care. 12

13 Therefore, to ensure that their needs are considered, including increased travel security, mobility, income, and school enrollment for girls, women must be part of the decision-making at all stages of infrastructure projects. Otherwise, women could become worse off, both in absolute terms and in comparison to men. However, when both men and women's needs are taken into account, investment in infrastructure can be a powerful tool in the pursuit of gender equality. Main priorities to develop recommendations Introduction Rural women and girls represent more than a quarter of the world s population. Almost all the indicators of gender and development reveal that, globally, rural women are at a disadvantage compared to rural men and urban women. The lack of access to land, productive resources, infrastructure, roads, connectivity, safe drinking water, education, health and justice affect them disproportionately. IFC Women account for 43% of the world s agricultural workforce, but very few perceive an adequate income. Most rural women workers are self-employed or unpaid family workers, and exposed to precarious jobs and low pay: they are paid on average 25% less than men. This is mainly related to the fact that informality and unpaid family work are very much present in rural economies. The main discussions we are carrying out to elaborate recommendations are the following: 13

14 Recommendation #1 Ensure investment and improvements in infrastructure services - especially transport, water, electricity, energy, connectivity that consider the differential impact on women s needs and prioritize women s economic empowerment and quality of life. Infrastructure does not only involve technical considerations, but it also has social differentiated impacts. All infrastructure is built to be used, therefore, it matters who uses it and how. In this sense, men and women have different roles and responsibilities, and often face different cultural, institutional, physical, and economic constraints, many of which are rooted in systemic biases and discrimination. These differences in how men and women use infrastructure services have important implications for sector policies, investment priorities, and program designs. For instance, country surveys have shown that women s mobility patterns are different from men s. Limited access to and safety of transportation are estimated to be the greatest obstacle to women s access to employment opportunities in developing countries, reducing their participation probability in the labor market by 16.5%. Specifically in rural areas, women pay a high price for the lack of infrastructure, which constrains their access to public services, such as justice, education and health care. Therefore, to ensure that their needs are considered, including increased travel security, mobility, income generating opportunities, and school enrollment for girls, women must be part of the decision-making at all stages of infrastructure projects. Plus, men and women are more likely to pay for services that match their preferences, and this helps sustainability as well. Policy Action 1.1. G20 countries should promote investment and improvements in gender-responsive, quality, reliable, sustainable and resilient infrastructure in rural areas, inter alia, safe drinking water and sanitation, energy, transport, water for irrigation, and technology - including information and communications technology - and other physical infrastructure for accessible public services. Policy Action 1.2. G20 countries must guarantee the participation of women during identification, design, implementation, management and maintenance stages of infrastructure projects. Infrastructure projects must include a protocol to prevent gender-based violence and should analyze local gender based roles, and especially local time-use by gender to avoid increasing the burden on women or force them to pass some of their housework responsibilities to their daughters, whose schooling may then be negatively affected. 14

15 Policy Action 1.3. G20 countries must promote construction and maintenance jobs and business opportunities for women and women led/owned enterprises and reduce social related gender biases that keep them behind. Infrastructure projects should include local/indigenous speakers to tackle language barriers and offer training and childcare services to ensure women's labor inclusion. Recommendation #2 Promote economic empowerment of rural women through the creation of 2030 Rural Women Global Fund. Also guarantee legal tenure of land, access to productive resources, technical assistance and social services. Strengthening women s access, use and management of natural resources is one of the most important means of empowering them. Gender equality and land tenure security are crucial concerns for a sustainable development process. Land ownership is a fundamental means of emancipation since it ensures greater economic independence and enables women to earn greater recognition in society, the family and the community, which is associated with the increased participation of women in decision-making. Women s property rights must be strengthened in both law and practice. Where such legislative measures are not in place, customary rules and practices often have restrictive consequences for women limiting their access to key resources such as land and credit, and affecting household food security. Yields would increase between 20-30%, and hunger would be reduced by 12-17% if women had access to the same productive resources as their male counterparts. This is of the utmost importance for rural areas, where 80% of the world s poor and undernourished people live. Despite their contribution to food production, women and girls are disproportionately affected by food insecurity and malnutrition due to their limited access to nutritious food and key productive resources. Climate change is not gender-neutral. It impacts disproportionately on rural women. Several underlying factors increase women s vulnerability to the impacts of climate change, including limited livelihood options, restricted access to education and basic services and discriminatory customary practices. Rural women are also likely to suffer higher disaster-related mortality and carry the burden of the long-term impacts of loss of land and security as a result of climate change. 15

16 Policy Action 2.1. G20 countries should create a 2030 Rural Women Global Fund for empowering rural women, strengthening their organizations, promoting access to financing for women s economic activities and training and, at the same time, allowing them to have greater participation in decision-making spaces by increasing their visibility as strategic agents and partners. Policy Action 2.2. G20 countries must enact legislation and undertake reforms to achieve the equal rights of women and men to access natural, economic and productive resources. This includes access to, use of, ownership of and control over land, property and inheritance rights, appropriate new technology and financial services, as well as equal access to justice and legal assistance. Thus, ensuring women s legal capacity and equal rights as men to conclude contracts. Policy Action 2.3. G20 countries should strengthen the economic activities of women by providing technical assistance, incorporating technological innovation into traditional knowledge, considering differences in contexts, needs and cultures of rural women, including indigenous and afro-descendant populations. Policy Action 2.4. G20 countries must ensure access to gender and cultural-sensitive social services, including education, comprehensive health services, care services, social security, access to justice and prevention and protection of violence against women. Recommendation #3 Guarantee the full and effective participation of rural women in decision-making processes, including indigenous, peasant, migrant and afro-descendant women. Enhancing rural women's leadership and meaningful participation in all forms of decision-making, from Parliaments to local governments and civil organizations, will ensure more attention is paid to meeting the needs of women and girls. It is also noteworthy the very low participation of women in decision-making positions within the whole agro-industrial chain. Recent studies in specific countries show that women hold less than 3% of the hierarchical jobs within this sector. 16

17 Policy Action 3.1. G20 countries should ensure the participation of rural women including, indigenous, peasant, migrant and afro-descendant women, in the design and implementation of all programs and policies, and support their organization and voice, overcoming the current situation of underrepresentation or absence in important decision-making spaces. Policy Action 3.2. G20 countries should establish programmes to reinforce local communities capacities, such as gender-responsive leadership and negotiation for promoting sustainable development. Policy Action 3.3. G20 countries should recognize and strengthen the organization, capacity and leadership of rural women in all their diversity, fostering parity, the democratization of political systems and the reform of electoral laws so that they guarantee their full and effective participation. Recommendation #4 Ensure that statistical systems collect, analyze and share sex-disaggregated data on the situation of rural women to elaborate evidence-based policies to improve their opportunities for development and economic empowerment. Rural women and their contribution to development continue to be invisible and underestimated due to important limitations in statistical systems. It is difficult to find data on the situation of rural women. Information that also considers age, ethnicity, migratory condition and other characteristics are even more difficult to find. This data are necessary to understand the increased vulnerabilities and inequalities faced by certain groups of women, including indigenous, afro-descendant and migrant women. There are also important limitations on availability of sex-disaggregated data on land tenure, as statistics do not capture information on property but rather on holder per Agricultural Unit. More data and studies on the situation of rural women are necessary to design and monitor public policies and programs for promoting their empowerment and fulfilment of their rights. They would allow a better understanding of policies that work and would help identify factors that lead to a better quality of life and more economic empowerment in some vulnerable countries and communities. 17

18 Policy Action 4.1. G20 countries must implement the production of data disaggregated by sex to better capture the situation of rural women, as well as data on land ownership and tenure and their contribution to productive activities and food production, including seasonal work. Policy Action 4.2. G20 members must promote the inclusion of gender-sensitive evaluation frameworks, and the collection of sex disaggregated data on the access, use and control of infrastructure. Policy Action 4.3. G20 countries must strengthen statistical systems to compile, analyze, use and disseminate data on the situation of rural women disaggregated by sex, age and other relevant characteristics. This will enable the design of public policies and the protection of their human rights, as well as to follow-up to national and international commitments in order to highlight the economic, social and environmental contribution of rural women in all their diversity. 18

19 What is next + After the roundtable, we will share with you the final version of the Rural Women Inclusion Communiqué to be discussed at the Summit. + Until the Summit, we will base our advocacy strategy on this Communiqué. + For each recommendation in the Communiqué we will specify actions and indicators, and ask G20 governments to demonstrate a concrete commitment to address these issues. We will ask for your help through our online platform 19