The EU, FAO and UNFPA, Celebrated the International Day of Rural Women in the Pankisi Gorge

Through the support of the European Union (EU), under the ENPARD Programme, an awareness-raising educational event dedicated to the International Day of Rural Women was held in Sakobiano village in Pankisi Gorge of Akhmeta Municipality.

The educational session was part of the “Information, Education, Empowerment” initiative of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), which aims to raise awareness among rural women about gender equality, reproductive health and rights, community engagement and the economic empowerment of women.   

More than 35 women from different villages in the Pankisi gorge participated in the awareness-raising event, which covered themes such as family planning, prevention of breast and uterine cancer, domestic violence, harmful practices (early marriage, gender-biased sex selection), the role of gender equality in business and agricultural development. Participants showed a high level of interest and attendance. Since the beginning of the campaign, 294 women have received gender-related joint training from FAO and UNFPA in different regions of Georgia under the ENPARD Programme.

“We have a long way forward to reduce gender inequalities in Georgia, especially for rural women, which are a very strong pillar of agriculture production, especially for some value chains. Through this initiative, we are trying to raise awareness of these inequalities and empower women as a way to create a more balanced and more fair development in the agricultural sector”, stated Javier Sanz Alvarez, FAO-EU Programme Coordinator.

“Very unfortunately, very few countries in the world are on track to achieve gender equality and full women/girls’ empowerment. Despite substantial progress over the past years, Georgia is no exception to that rule. The health and socio-economic consequences of the COVID-19 crisis have disproportionately affected women and girls, especially in rural areas and between different communities. The EU has a strong commitment towards promoting gender equality and women’s empowerment throughout all its external actions, including in Georgia. This commitment was reiterated by the adoption of the new EU Action Plan on Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment in External Relations 2020–2025 (GAP III), which aims to accelerate progress on empowering women and girls, and safeguard gains made on gender equality during the 25 years since the adoption of the Beijing Declaration. We see today’s event as part of this EU commitment, so I would like to congratulate our UNFPA and FAO partners for this initiative and thank them for inscribing it within our ENPARD programme”, stated Georges Dehoux, Programme Manager for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Safety at the EU Delegation to Georgia.

“We are glad to be in Pankisi today to mark the International Day of Rural Women with our partners and local community leaders. Protection of women’s reproductive health and rights, raising their awareness about gender equality and harmful practices, challenges and opportunities are among the most important priorities for the United Nations Population Fund. We will continue putting our joint efforts for empowering women and girls, especially those living in rural areas, as we strongly believe that improving their access to all the essential information and services will help them fulfil their potential and thus contribute to the development of their communities and the country.” – Lela Bakradze, Head of the office, UNFPA Georgia CO.

The International Day of Rural Women is celebrated on 15 October. On this day, the United Nations emphasizes once again the importance of providing rural women with essential knowledge and skills, as well as ensuring equity and equality for them to achieve their full potential. 

The European Union supports rural development in Georgia through its ENPARD Programme. Aiming to reduce rural poverty, ENPARD has been implemented since 2013, with a total budget of Euro 179.5 million. The first phase of ENPARD focused on developing national agriculture potential, while the second and third phases concentrate on creating economic opportunities for the rural population that go beyond agricultural activities.

Contact Information:

Guram Sakvarelidze, Communication Consultant; FAO; +995 558 493 891; Guram.saqvarelidze@fao.org

UNFPA

Salome Benidze, Communication and Partnership Analyst; +995 577 211 300; benidze@unfpa.org