First Thematic Youth Assembly consultation of 2025: Supporting women and girls in decent rural employment

The World Food Forum (WFF)'s Global Youth Action Initiative (Youth Initiative), in collaboration with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations's (FAO) Liaison Office in Geneva, the FAO Rural Transformation and Gender Equality Division and the International Labour Organization (ILO), hosted its first Thematic Youth Assembly consultation of 2025 on supporting women and girls in decent rural employment.

Held on 31 January at the Palais des Nations, United Nations Office at Geneva and streamed online, this hybrid event brought together over 250 youth leaders, policymakers and experts to address the challenges and opportunities at the intersection of Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) 5 (gender equality) and SDG 8 (decent work and economic growth).

The session opened with welcome remarks from Dominique Burgeon, Director of the FAO Liaison Office in Geneva, who set the stage by highlighting the crucial role of rural women in economic development. “Empowering rural women with decent work unlocks their untapped potential and brings significant social and economic benefits for women, their families, communities, rural economy and the whole society”, he stated. His remarks reinforced the urgency of addressing barriers to rural women’s employment and the need for inclusive solutions.

Following the opening, the event moved into a panel discussion moderated by Marilena Bechmaier, a WFF Youth Policy Board (YPB) member.  Chiara Curcio from ILO highlighted the challenges young women in rural areas face and emphasized the importance of gender-responsive policies, social dialogue and creating decent job opportunities. She also touched on ILO’s work on skills development and policy coherence to support youth transitions from education to employment.

Omnia Rizk, Gender Officer at FAO, addressed the root causes of women’s vulnerability in agriculture, including social norms, wage gaps and limited access to land and services. She emphasized the potential of innovation and technology to empower rural women but stressed the need for their involvement in research and culturally relevant solutions.

Célia Bühler, the Young Professionals for Agricultural Development (YPARD) representative for Switzerland, emphasized the importance of advocacy, capacity building and networking in their work. She highlighted the role of youth as a bridge between local communities and higher-level concepts, helping to translate concerns from the ground while also making broader ideas more accessible.

Eric Andrew, Young Trade Leader at the World Trade Organization (WTO), highlighted the need for better financing options for women-led agribusinesses, such as low-interest loans and collateral-free microfinance. He also called for gender-responsive supply chains, equal pay and greater youth involvement in advocating for these changes, using social media to amplify women’s voices.

The session moved into breakout groups where participants identified key issues and potential policy actions. The discussions, led by facilitators, focused on challenges such as unemployment, access to education and societal pressures on rural women. Mikayla Hyland-Wood, a WFF YPB member summarized the findings, collecting over 20 youth statements highlighting the importance of breaking social norms, providing education for both men and women, and supporting women’s innovation through microfinance and cooperative networks.

The outcomes of the year-long Youth Assembly consultations will shape a youth recommendation paper on the needs of young women in agrifood systems. The next youth consultation will take place at CSW69 at the United Nations headquarters in New York, with the final recommendations presented at the High-Level Political Forum in July 2025.

The session concluded with closing remarks from Kazuki Kitaoka, Director of the Office of Youth and Women at FAO, who emphasized the office’s commitment to empowering rural youth, amplifying their voices in agrifood governance and supporting the continued work of the WFF's Youth Initiative.