On 24-26 July, the Asia and the Pacific Regional High Level Consultation on Gender, Food Security and Nutrition co-organized by ADB, FAO, and WOCAN was convened to advance ongoing efforts to promote gender equality as an effective strategy to achieve food security and nutrition in the Asia-Pacific region. It was the first regional high-level consultation focusing on the linkages between gender, food security and nutrition issues.
The event ensured a highly engaged exchange on good practices and lessons learned in this regard, and led to agreements on follow-up measures that would advance gender equity and women’s empowerment. There was general agreement on four critical approaches that would contribute to the overall goals of gender-responsive food and nutrition security outcomes: i) the importance of relying on human-rights based approaches; ii) the advantages of working in collaboration across the region through partnerships; iii) the crucial role of inclusivity of rural women, including indigenous women and marginalized and vulnerable groups through their organizations and networks in the design, development and implementation of gender equality and rural development programs and strategies; and iv) the importance of male involvement in gender transformative process to ensure the sustainability of future action in this regard.
