NOTE TO THE READER
The 2018 session of the United Nations
Commission on the Status of Women
reached a strong consensus on ways and
means of achieving gender equality and
the empowerment of rural women and
girls. The “agreed conclusions” adopted by
the Commission at its sixty-second session
(E/2018/27) set out steps necessary to overcome
persistent inequalities, discrimination and
barriers faced by women and girls living in
rural areas, and put forth concrete measures
to lift all rural women and girls out of poverty
and to ensure realization of their rights, wellbeing and resilience.
The introductory part (paragraphs 1 to 45)
sets out and reaffirms existing commitments
on gender equality and the empowerment of
all women and girls, including those living in
rural areas. It highlights the Beijing Declaration
and Platform for Action and other outcome
documents and their linkages to the 2030
Agenda for Sustainable Development. This part
draws attention to persistent discrimination
and inequalities, and marginalization, that
women and girls living in rural areas continue to
face, and the many challenges they encounter.
It also summarizes the significant contribution
that rural women and girls make to poverty
eradication and highlights opportunities for
contributing to the realization of their rights
and well-being as agents and beneficiaries of
sustainable development.
Following this introductory part, the
Commission outlined policies and actions to
be undertaken by Governments and other
stakeholders in the following three areas:
• S trengthen normative, legal and policy
frameworks (paragraphs 46 (a) to (l));
• Implement economic and social policies for
the empowerment of all rural women and
girls (paragraphs 46 (m) to (iii));
• S trengthen the collective voice, leadership
and decision-making of all rural women and
girls (paragraphs 46 (jjj) to (sss)).
The first section sets out actions needed
to strengthen normative, legal and policy
frameworks. It calls for action to fully
implement existing commitments and
obligations for the achievement of gender
equality and the empowerment of all women
and girls and the full and equal enjoyment
of their human rights and fundamental
freedoms. It calls for the ratification of the
Convention on the Elimination of All Forms
of Discrimination against Women and the
Convention on the Rights of the Child. Action
is needed to strengthen legislation and
eliminate discriminatory laws including in the
context of multiple legal systems, eliminate all
forms of discrimination and violence, sexual
harassment and harmful practices against
rural women and girls, enhance their access to
justice, guarantee universal birth and timely
marriage registration, and access to natural,
economic and productive resources.
The second section focuses on actions to
implement economic and social policies for
the empowerment of all rural women and
girls. Emphasis is placed on tackling structural
barriers and creating a supportive economic
and social policy environment in key areas