Empowering young women in agrifood systems: Insights from the WFF Youth Initiative at CSW69

The World Food Forum (WFF)'s Global Youth Action Initiative (Youth Initiative), in collaboration with the Permanent Missions of Italy and Indonesia to the United Nations in New York, hosted a side event at the 69th Commission on the Status of Women (CSW69). Held on 19 March at the Liaison Office of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in New York and streamed online, the event gathered over 300 youth leaders, policymakers and experts to discuss how education and training can empower young women in agrifood systems.

Angelica Jácome, Director of the FAO Liaison Office in New York, opened the session by stressing the importance of integrating youth voices into policy discussions. “We must see youth as more than future leaders—they are already driving change with scalable solutions,” she stated. Ambassador Gianluca Greco, Deputy Permanent Representative of Italy to the United Nations, underscored the need to break down barriers preventing young women from accessing learning and training opportunities, particularly in agripreneurship.

Lorenzo Gentile, Operations Specialist at the WFF Youth Initiative, introduced the discussion, which is part of a year-long consultative process. Furthermore, Martina Borrello, FAO Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment Specialist, moderated the panel, featuring youth representatives from global networks. Renata Koch, representing the Major Group for Children and Youth (MGCY), highlighted the intersection of gender, climate justice and agrifood systems, stressing the need for intersectional policies and youth-led advocacy for inclusive climate adaptation. Anoushka Sinha from the UNESCO SDG4 Youth and Students’ Network emphasized the importance of localized, accessible sustainability education, particularly in rural areas, as well as women-led mentorship and cooperative financial models to transform education into economic opportunities. Sara Kate Smith, from the WFF Youth Policy Board, spoke about the role of targeted training programmes and policy support in attracting young women to agrifood careers. She advocated for integrating agriculture into school curricula and implementing policies on land access and financial incentives to ensure long-term youth engagement.

An open-floor discussion followed, with representatives from the Committee on World Food Security (CFS), the World Farmers’ Organization (WFO), the WFF Italy Youth Chapter and others, emphasizing four key priorities: turning policy into action by ensuring advocacy efforts translate into real opportunities for young women in agrifood systems; strengthening education and financial inclusion through tailored training programmes that equip young women with entrepreneurial skills, financial literacy and microfinance access; localizing solutions through community-led initiatives that leverage local knowledge, mentorship and cooperative models to empower rural women; and enhancing multi-stakeholder collaboration by building partnerships across youth, policymakers, international organizations and the private sector to implement gender-responsive strategies aligned with SDG 5 (Gender Equality) and SDG 4 (Quality Education).

Insights from this discussion will contribute to the Youth Assembly's year-long consultation process, culminating in a youth recommendation paper on young women in agrifood systems. The next consultation will take place at the ECOSOC Youth Forum, with final recommendations presented at the High-Level Political Forum in July 2025.

The event concluded with Ira Mamesah, Minister Counsellor of the Permanent Mission of Indonesia, who reaffirmed Indonesia’s commitment to youth engagement in agrifood systems. In addition, Kazuki Kitaoka, Director of FAO’s Office of Youth and Women, reaffirmed FAO’s commitment to amplifying youth voices in agrifood governance. “Young leaders are not just participating in discussions—they are claiming their rightful seat at the table,” he emphasized, also praising the WFF National Youth Chapters in Italy and Indonesia as models for future expansion.