Mr. President,
It is quite clear from our discussions so far that we will not be able to achieve internationally agreed development goals, including the millennium development goals (MDGs), unless rural poverty is addressed urgently.
Mr. President,
I will not be speaking about trade, tariffs, and agricultural subsidies. I will change the focus of our dialogue on people and rural women, in particular. This is a population group that is often forgotten and whose rights are rarely remembered, though it is critical to food security and rural development. The Secretary-General mentioned rural women as a priority in his opening remarks this morning. And I am taking his message forward. By raising this issue, I may be a lonely voice in this dialogue but, certainly, it is a message that must be delivered.
Today, two thirds of the world’s poor live in rural areas, and a majority are women. Therefore, to be effective, rural development must be approached in an integrated, gender-sensitive manner that directly addresses the factors that cause and aggravate poverty among women and families. We must work together for mutually reinforcing policies and programmes that strengthen the rural economy, enhance social development, increase the sustainable use of resources, bring about social justice and remove inequalities. Perhaps, most importantly, we must focus on efforts and institutions that empower the rural poor, especially women, so that they can be active stakeholders in development, and claim their rights.
Today, in many rural communities, women are struggling to raise their children and their crops with very little support, and there are increasing numbers of female-headed households. In some communities, rapid population growth has put increased pressures on fragile local environments and there is less and less land for families to farm. These are issues that must be addressed squarely.
To break free from poverty, rural women need increased access to land, water, training, credit and markets, as well as greater participation in decision-making. Development efforts must recognize and support the significant contributions of rural women to food and agricultural production, food security and household well-being. There is also a great need to expand income-earning options through micro-enterprise. In all areas, the rights of women must be secured. We have said this over and over again, but action is still limited.
In particular, the right to enjoy reproductive health is crucial for rural development and for reducing extreme poverty and hunger in line with the millennium development goals. Universal access to reproductive health services is absolutely essential for meeting the MDG targets—for slowing the spread of HIV/AIDS, reducing maternal and infant mortality, and ensuring sustainable development. To reduce rural poverty in its many dimensions, we must expand individual choices and opportunities.
Today, many poor women, especially in rural areas, cannot make basic choices about pregnancy and childbearing. In most cases, rural fertility is higher than urban fertility because there is less access to health and family planning services. The percentage of births assisted by skilled attendants, and access to emergency obstetric care, are lower in rural areas than in cities. All of these factors lead to high rates of maternal death and disability, which drives rural families further into poverty. Today, complications of pregnancy and childbirth are the leading cause of death and disability for young women in the developing world.
Adding to the poor health of women and families is HIV/AIDS, which is striking a fearsome blow in rural communities. Increasingly, young women are the most vulnerable to HIV infection. In addition, the burden of care is falling disproportionately on women, who are already overworked. Yet, in many countries that are hard-hit by AIDS, irresponsible sexual behaviour prevails, though it has been agreed by Member States at the General Assembly special session on HIV/AIDS, held in 2001, that the ABC approach (abstinence, being faithful, condom use) is the only way to the prevention of HIV/AIDS. Where abstinence is not an option, we know that the availability and use of condoms to prevent infection remains alarmingly low. Therefore, there is a great need to expand access to reproductive health services, including maternal health care, family planning and HIV prevention. Improving reproductive health and gender equality is key to integrated rural development.
In conclusion, Mr. President, we must all recognize that poverty reduction strategies must target and involve rural households, especially women. We must also recognize that increased financial support from donor countries, especially to the least developed countries, remains essential to improve reproductive health, slow population growth and reduce poverty. UNFPA firmly believes that investing in reproductive health and promoting gender equality is a cost-effective strategy to improve the lives of all, especially the rural poor.
In conclusion, Mr. President, it is very difficult to speak about improving the lives of rural women when we are faced with the serious issue of saving their lives first. It is unnatural that rural and poor women die or become disabled when they do the most natural thing – give birth.
Mr. President, this is a message that we must remember and act upon. We must strengthen institutions, adopt laws, put in place economic mechanisms, and reform social services delivery systems that would allow rural women exercise their human rights.