Recommendations Policy and Priority Actions to address gender issues in food and nutrition security, In Asia and the

Pacific Asia-Pacific Regional High-Level Consultation on Gender, Food Security and Nutrition: Ensuring the Other Half Equal Opportunities 24-26 July, 2013 Bangkok, Thailand Compliance with United Nations General Assembly Resolution 66-129 Improvement of the Situation of Women in Rural Areas

We, the representatives of government agencies representing the sectors concerning gender, food security and nutrition, civil society organizations, research institutions, the United Nations and other international partners, from the Asia-Pacific region met at the Royal Orchid Sheraton in Bangkok, Thailand, from 24th to 26th July 2013, at the Asia and the Pacific Regional High-level Consultation on Gender, Food Security and Nutrition: Ensuring the Other Half Equal Opportunities. Comprised of over 60 delegates, the consultation was co- organized by Asian Development Bank, Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nation and Organizing for Change in Agriculture and Natural Resource Management. Participants recognized that 870 million people currently undernourished in the world, the largest portion is from the Asia-Pacific region (nearly 62% of the world total). Worldwide, 60% of the undernourished are estimated to be women. Gender disparities in food and nutrition security continue to be a key concern in the international development community and among stakeholders in the Asia-Pacific region, especially given their linkages to poverty. Participants emphasized the importance of relying on human-rights based approaches for gender integration, forging partnerships with the latter and the participation 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 programmes and strategies. In order for action to be effective, participants recognize the importance of male involvement in gender transformative process. Participants agreed that there are serious linkages between food insecurity and gender-based violence which requires further attention. Acknowledging that the Consultation was the first regional high-level event focusing on gender dimension of food and nutrition security to share good practices and lessons learned, to facilitate the multistakeholder dialogue among government, civil society, United Nations Agencies, international organizations, research institutions and other stakeholders to identify

the areas of priority actions in order to promote gender equity for reducing poverty and achieving food and nutrition security in Asia and the Pacific. In accordance with the relevant sections of Resolution 66-129, participants agreed to undertake the follow-up action in their respective countries in collaboration with the key national / regional stakeholders, including CSOs, rural organizations and the private sector. Overarching efforts to integrate gender equality in the design, implementation and evaluation of policies and programmes for poverty eradication and food and nutrition security with systematic attention to the needs, priorities and roles of rural women as per Clause 2 (a) and Clause 2 (e) of the Resolution 66-129 through the following measures: Supporting to the political and socioeconomic empowerment of rural women and supporting their full and equal participation in decision-making at all levels Advancing the adoption of the appropriate social protection/social security measures to support rural women, including older women in rural areas. Facilitating access to rural resources and services to enhance rural womens livelihoods and economic security through access to microcredit, extension, other key productive resources including land rights, investments and capacity development. Strengthening opportunities for decent rural employment for rural women, including expanding non-agricultural employment opportunities, improving working conditions and increasing access to productive resources. Enhancing availability of timely, reliable and sex-disaggregated data that will guide policy and programme decisions, including to strengthen the capacity of national statistical offices to collect, analyse and disseminate comparable sex-disaggregated data, and gender statistics in rural areas to serve as a basis for gender-responsive policy. short term ( by 2015) Design Tools and guidelines on inclusive rural institutions with effective womens representation Identify the appropriate social protection programmes through technical supports from development partners Identify the avenues for delivery through collaboration with local and Mid term Implementation and M&E Promote womens representation in national bodies (including legislative bodies) Assess feasibility of select options for implementation

Actions Gender responsive policies and programmes Socioeconomic empowerment

Social protection

Access to resources and services

Strengthen the rural institutions to enhance access to resources and services

Decent rural employment

national stakeholders Raise awareness among rights-holders Capacity development of relevant ministries and NSOs

Sex-disaggregated data

Dutybearers (states and nonstate actors) to create enabling environment Generate, analyze and use for evidence informed policies

What are regional actions Plan for the follow-ups to assess progress against the actions in 2015 aligned with post 2015 SDGs Advance the goals and objectives of gender responsive agricultural development for food and nutrition security through regional frameworks/bodies such as SAARC, ASEAN and PIFS Regional exchange of knowledge, know-how, including the good practices between and among countries in the region. Mobilize political commitment at highest level across and Asia and the Pacific region

26th July 2013