The IGC Secretariat cordially invites you to the IGC Lunch and Learn: Seeds of Change: Promoting Gender Equality in Food Systems on Wednesday 28 August from 12:00 to 13:00 CET.
Food insecurity remains one of the greatest challenges of our time. An estimated 735 million individuals faced hunger in 2022 – a significant increase of approximately 122 million since 2019 – and approximately 2.4 billion people were moderately or severely food insecure. In nearly two-thirds of countries, women are more likely than men to report food insecurity. This can be explained by factors relating to restrictive gender norms which limit women’s access to resources and services – including land, knowledge and food – making them more often subject to food shortages and malnutrition. These inequalities will likely continue to rise and become entrenched as climate change and extreme weather events, such as droughts and floods, become more prevalent. Already by 2030, one in four women and girls are expected to be moderately or severely food insecure.
At the same time, women – who make up 36 per cent of the global agrifood workforce – play an essential role in ensuring sustainable food systems and security. According to UN Women estimates, addressing gender gaps in agrifood systems can reduce food insecurity as well as boost global GDP by nearly $1 trillion. Women’s and girls voices, perspectives and expertise must be taken into account to shape policies and influence practices towards building inclusive, sustainable and resilient food systems.
During the fourth Lunch and Learn session of 2024, titled ‘Seeds of Change: Promoting Gender Equality in Food Systems,’ speakers will explore the gender dimensions of food (in)security, including the linkages between gender equality and food security, and how climate change further exacerbates existing inequities. They will outline sustainable solutions that have the potential to create triple win opportunities for gender equality, food security and environmental sustainability, such as climate-smart agriculture policies.
Speakers:
- Brenda Behan, Director, Gender, Protection and Inclusion Service, World Food Programme (WFP)
- Ei Hnin Hlaing, Programme Officer, Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)
Moderator:
- Moritz Fegert, Project Officer, Policy & Advocacy, Biovision Foundation
We will offer this event in a hybrid format. If you are available to attend in-person, please join us on the seventh floor of the Geneva Centre for Security Policy (GCSP), where lunch will be served. Please note that in-person attendance is limited to 25 participants and that spots will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis.
Kindly RSVP by Monday 26 August via the following link to let us know whether you will attend in-person or online: https://gcsp-ch.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZAlceGsrzMrEtEOfvqpQpcKGFSXWIXNpi1v