Gender Equality in Rural Areas

Topic: 2024-Gender Equality in Rural Areas
Country: Viet Nam
Delegate Name: Harpreet Kaur

In rural areas of developed and developing countries, women often face isolation from crucial resources, leading to gender inequality. Traditional practices and physical separation limit their access to social, economic, and technological opportunities. Women, who make up 43% of the agricultural workforce in developing countries, could significantly boost productivity if given equal resources. Education is also less accessible for rural women, with only 39% of rural girls attending secondary school compared to 45% of boys. Additionally, leadership roles and medical care, especially reproductive care, are less available to women in these regions.

Viet Nam has made significant progress in addressing gender inequality in rural areas through various policies and initiatives. The National Strategy for Gender Equality 2011-2020 and the National Action Plan for the implementation of the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda highlight the importance of gender equality, especially in rural regions. Investments in education, healthcare, and communication technology have empowered rural women and challenged traditional gender roles. As a result, more rural girls are attending school, and healthcare programs have improved access to reproductive health services. However, challenges such as a lack of gender-disaggregated data, and persistent cultural norms remain significant barriers. To further address these issues, Viet Nam proposes increasing access to education by building more schools and providing scholarships for rural girls, expanding healthcare facilities, ensuring access to reproductive health services, enhancing data collection mechanisms, promoting women’s leadership roles, and increasing access to technology. By implementing these solutions, Viet Nam aims to create a more equitable society where women can fully contribute to national development and economic growth.

The Socialist Republic of Viet Nam is dedicated to promoting gender equality and addressing the specific challenges faced by women in rural areas. Our country recognizes that achieving these goals requires not only national efforts but also international collaboration. Viet Nam is committed to working closely with other countries, sharing best practices, and learning from global experiences to enhance the effectiveness of our policies and initiatives.

Topic: 2024-Gender Equality in Rural Areas
Country: Sierra Leone
Delegate Name: Priya Mahabir

Sierra Leone is one of the lowest ranked on gender equality indices. Even though Sierra Leone has increased the awareness of inequality and the government has started to make acts and laws to make women equal; there’s still so much work that Sierra Leone needs to do to officially make women equal to men. Women don’t really play a part in the government, so incorporating them will give another point of view. Making education more accessible to women no matter their age. Early marriage/ child marriage is trying to get banned considering that it ruins the kids’ life on top of it’s a form of sexual abuse. In the past, women had little to no freedom: discrimination, violated human rights, abuse, very limited opportunities, and little to no education. Women had to face an incredible amount of inequality including basic health. Women’s lives were impacted tremendously because they could barely live as basic human beings. As of now around 29.5% of women are still unequal today.

The Gender Equality and Women Empowerment (GEWE) Act of 2022 promoted a minimum of 30% of women to equal access to education and the power of decision-making. This act was to help women; with equal pay, maternity leave, and addressing sexual harassment in the workplace. They wanted to help women even outside of Sierra Leone to have the same opportunities and develop more acts and organizations to include women in government and economic decisions. Using their many acts they gave women a basic necessity of health care; most of these acts are used to protect and provide stability and equality in the rural areas.

Sierra Leone wants to incorporate women and start treating them like actual human beings. Expanding education so women can finally go to school. Making acts to give women healthcare rights and freedom. Allowing women to be a part of government and our economic decisions. Including women in the communities and congregating with them. Letting women have a free mind. Starting more campaigns to combat gender violence and promoting awareness. The only way our country will get better is if we help people who are being the most hurt, it might not help the poverty situation, but it will help half of our community not feel threatened while trying to live.

Topic: 2024-Gender Equality in Rural Areas
Country: Jordan
Delegate Name: Elizabeth Torres-Salas

Throughout the past decades, Jordan has seen an increase in urban areas, leading to a change in the country’s population distribution dynamic. For the majority of the 20th century, people have been consistently moving to urban areas, which has further increased the role of gender equality in rural environments. Despite this, there have been some changes in recent years that have helped show an overall increase in gender equality gaps in rural areas. Yet, much improvement can be made throughout the country.
One of the main challenges that is thought of when thinking about gender equality in rural areas is the treatment of women compared to men and the expectations that they are faced with. In recent years, Jordan has had lower equity rates than other countries in the region, showing how they are more likely to change. There are still some fundamental problems that Jordan plans to change regarding gender inequality, such as access to education, job opportunities, employment rates, and caretaking. Jordan has started implementing laws, especially those regarding care, that plan to help with gender inequality. They are implementing the labor laws 2019 to help create a paid labor environment for women, which was very limited. One major part of this law is to make paid maternity leave mandatory for all workplaces, which will help create a more even field for women. In recent years, the Ministry of Education had also made school a requirement for children ages 5-6 and stated that it would increase the number of school built, this aids in limiting the education gap that females in rural areas are prone to face. Jordan values this issue and aims to limit it.
The issues regarding gender equality and rural environments are far from being accomplished. Jordan plans to use its resources and advances to help better the gender inequality gap that the country still faces. The implementation of different laws and policy plans will help with this subject. Jordan plans to limit the gender inequality faced in rural areas.
Sources: https://www.ipsos.com/sites/default/files/ct/news/documents/2024-04/Spotlight%20Jordan%20-Views%20on%20Gender%20Equality.pdf
https://data.unwomen.org/country/jordan

Topic: 2024-Gender Equality in Rural Areas
Country: South Africa
Delegate Name: Ananya Arulmurugan

Women’s rights in rural areas have been a pressing global issue, as these regions often face unique challenges that hinder gender equality. While some progress has been made, Women in rural areas still face a myriad of challenges, including but not limited to limited access to education, healthcare, and other necessary resources. Rural areas are also some of the places with the highest rates of gender-based poverty. A lot of these disparities are compounded by deep-rooted societal norms, lower education, and systemic sexism. Rural areas face some of the hardest paths going forward with gender equality, and it is vital to aid them going forward. The UN has taken action and acknowledged these unique challenges, with documents like the “The Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action” highlighting the need for women in rural areas to have access to more education, resources, and healthcare. Further action taken includes UN Women Flagship programs that address rural women’s economic empowerment, supporting women’s access to resources with the IFAD and FAO, and the Education for All initiative, which works to ensure that rural girls receive primary and secondary education.
South Africa currently faces many problems with this issue, problems that are supplemented by a history of patriarchal norms, gender-based violence, and lack of infrastructure. South Africa has one of the highest rates of gender-based violence in the world, the majority of this taking place in rural areas. Limited education is another looming barrier in the path towards complete gender equality. A further hurdle is the patriarchal ideology enshrined in South African society and politics. However, steps are being taken to alleviate and solve this complex issue. For example, South Africa has constitutional protections for women. Furthermore, the NDP (National Development Plan) reduces gender inequality through initiatives targeting rural development, land reform, and improved women’s access to education and healthcare. Partnering with organizations like the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and Oxfam South Africa to deliver gender-focused programs in rural communities is also a vital action South Africa has taken to increase gender equality in rural areas.
South Africa stresses the importance of putting developing countries with the highest concentration of rural areas at the front and center of the discourse surrounding this topic. Many gender equality conversations happen with the focus placed on Western countries, and while there is still significant progress to be made in those countries, it is an unavoidable truth that a significant disparity exists in gender equality, depending on the region. South Africa proposes a broad resolution that can be tailored to fit an individual country’s needs, as it is crucial to recognize the different needs of each member state. Some solutions that are vital to solving the root cause of the problem include increasing access to education, improving land ownership rights, and funding programs that decrease stigma and sexism. Another thing that would significantly bolster the path towards gender equality is including women in political discourse and policymaking surrounding rural areas.

Topic: 2024-Gender Equality in Rural Areas
Country: Niger
Delegate Name: Rebecca Panebianco

Rebecca Panebianco
Niger
Mattawan High School
UN Women – Gender equality in rural areas

Gender inequality is a significant barrier to development in rural Niger, where women often face limited access to education, healthcare, economic opportunities, and decision-making processes. Addressing gender inequality in rural areas is not only a moral imperative but also a critical step toward ensuring sustainable development and improving overall societal well-being.
Women in rural Niger primarily engage in agriculture, which is often with limited access to technology, resources, and markets. This economic dependence reinforces gender inequalities, as women have less access to land, credit, and decision-making processes. Another issue is the limited access to healthcare services, which increases maternal mortality rates.
Niger is committed to advancing gender equality in all areas, including rural communities, where women face the greatest challenges. Niger supports policies for education for girls and women and calls for increased investment in healthcare infrastructure.
Niger calls for international support in creating educational programs and urges the international community to support rural healthcare infrastructure, as well as mobile clinics that reach remote areas.
Gender equality in rural areas is essential for achieving Niger’s development goals. Niger looks forward to collaborating with international partners to address these critical issues and build a more equitable future for all citizens, regardless of their gender or geographic location.

Topic: 2024-Gender Equality in Rural Areas
Country: Greece
Delegate Name: Monia Abbas

Topic: 2024-Gender Equality in Rural Areas
Country: Greece
Delegate Name: Monia Abbas

Gender equality in rural areas refers to the fact that women who live in rural areas where there is not a large population have less opportunities for things like work, and decision making power. Living in an area where there is not a large population means that there are limited job opportunities and in turn when men take the majority of jobs it causes their female counterparts to feel as though their contribution is not valued or making a difference. It ends up hindering multiple things such as not only their personal goals but also the development of the community as a whole.

When it comes to women’s rights, there are a multitude of things to take into consideration from education to work and salaries. “Women and girls who live in rural areas, as well as women from the Roma community have less access to services than those living in urban areas, particularly services for disabled people and those with mental health issues.” as is said by the United States Children Fund when conducting research on Greece’s GDI or Gender Development Index. There are many things that come to mind when rural areas are thought of and that is traditional expectations, limited economic opportunities, and access to services. Traditional expectations refer to the generational norm that women are homemakers and caretakers, limited economic opportunities such as a lack of jobs, access to services such as lawyers or education. When mentioning education, it should be stated that in rural areas of the EU, the share of female early leavers from education and training fell from 11.2% to 8.3% between 2013 and 2023, while the share of male early leavers fell from 15.3% to 11.2%.

This issue is not one that is new or recently discovered. As rural areas are known for being areas of lower population it is unfortunately expected that there is a high chance that gender equality does not look as liberal as it does in more urban areas. Greece believes that there first needs to be an increase in the schools and hospitals that are built in rural areas to increase the services that women have access to. Along with that, encouraging and giving women leadership roles will increase economic growth and contribute to breaking gender norms. They will also act as role models for the next generation, hence breaking the older traditional roles given to them.

Topic: 2024-Gender Equality in Rural Areas
Country: Mexico
Delegate Name: Ishitha Turlapati

Committee: UN Women
Topic: Gender Equality in Rural Areas
Country: United Mexican States
School: Portage Central High School

Gender equality, a basic human right, gives equal opportunities and rights to all individuals, regardless of gender. This ideal remains a challenge by entrenched social norms and barriers in rural Mexico. Women, especially from indigenous communities, still lack access to education, healthcare, and basic economic resources. Such disparities hinder their participation in social and economic life. Redressing gender inequalities in rural communities is essential to securing basic human rights, economic development, and poverty eradication.
International schemes have long emphasized the effect of gender equality. CEDAW commits Mexico to put an end to all forms of discrimination based on sex. Along the same line is the Beijing Declaration, which recognizes and underscores the importance of empowering rural women. SDG 5 seeks to achieve gender equality with specific targets to ensure equal rights for women and girls globally. According to UN officials, rural women are recognized agents of change given their significant roles in attaining sustainable development. NGOs such as Oxfam Mexico and ILO are tirelessly engaged in initiatives for the economic empowerment of women and women’s rights.
In Mexico, there are government initiatives like Proigualdad to advance gender equality and provide resources and opportunities for women in rural communities. Surmounting these challenges entails fighting against inconsistent enforcement of legal protections and stubbornly ingrained cultural norms. The government of Mexico continues to advocate for policies to be adopted, while addressing these gaps, on the need for international collaboration to support infrastructure development to carry out best practices for vocational training. In these areas, the goal is to empower women by increasing the income-producing opportunities available to them and their access to economic resources.
To pursue solutions against gender inequality, several targeted initiatives have been advocated. The creation of a Global Rural Women Empowerment Fund can be financed for education, health, and entrepreneurship projects. Monitoring measures and mechanisms are essential for gender equality programs’ effective tracking in ways that ensure accountability. At the national level, there should be legal reforms to strengthen women’s land ownership and inheritance rights. Through education and vocational courses that would meet the needs of rural women, economic participation would become a reality for them.
Partnerships between government, NGOs, and the private sector can also further augment these initiatives. By partnering with Oxfam, financial opportunities through microfinance and entrepreneurial support of women can meet the set objectives. Infrastructure development projects financed through public-private partnerships could bring much-needed access to crucial services while reducing barriers for rural women. With these solutions, significant strides would be made towards achieving gender equality and equipping women for full participation in community and national life.
Gender equality in rural Mexico has several dimensions; it must be confronted through multi-faceted approaches involving various groups. The international framework must support national policies and community initiatives against root cause issues of gender inequality. By investing in education, legal reforms, and economic opportunities, Mexico can foster a more equitable society that empowers women with the resources and support they need to thrive and excel. Rural women’s empowerment is not just a call for social justice but a stimulus for development and economic growth.

Sources:
https://www.oxfammexico.org/
https://www.unwomen.org/en/what-we-do/economic-empowerment/rural-women
https://www.unwomen.org/en/news/in-focus/women-and-the-sdgs/sdg-5-gender-equality
https://www.ilo.org/global/topics/equality-and-discrimination/lang–en/index.htm
https://www.gob.mx/inmujeres

Topic: 2024-Gender Equality in Rural Areas
Country: India
Delegate Name: Fiona Rodrigues

In rural India Only 22.4% of women claimed to have an ownership of property. 50.4% of the earning women claimed full control over income, while, 78.4% non-earning women claimed that they get sufficient amount of money from their husbands. 36.6% of women reported physical abuse, whereas 60% of them reported psychological abuse by husband or other family members. This topic of gender equality in rural areas, must be improved. Our constitution makes gender equality a right but as of right now it does not seem to be being followed. We have passed rulings such as Protection of Women against Domestic Violence Act, 2005. Article 21 of the Constitution every citizen, including women is entitled to the right to life and dignity. Section 354A of the Indian Penal Code criminalizes harassment.
Unfortunately in these rural areas women are not as well protected and are vulnerable to these sorts of actions.
in rural area all states except Meghalaya and Sikkim had the significantly higher percentage of women’s illiteracy as compared to male. Bihar and Madhya Pradesh had higher illiterate women, 53.7% and 48.6% as compared to male, 24.7% and 21.5% respectively. This just shows how in our country people still see women as less and treat them as such because they will not take time to sit and teach their daughters to read and write. These kinds of patterns continue across the country and will continue for generations to come because no matter how much these women may want their daughters to learn that kind of control is out of their hands.

The practice of child marriage appears most common among respondents living in the poorest households and in rural areas, and with no education or only primary schooling. Child marriage is often the result of entrenched gender inequality, making girls disproportionately affected by the practice. Globally, the prevalence of child marriage among boys is just one sixth that among girls. Child marriage robs girls of their childhood and threatens their well-being. Girls who marry before 18 are more likely to experience domestic violence and less likely to remain in school. They have worse economic and health outcomes than their unmarried peers, which are eventually passed down to their own children, straining a country’s capacity to provide quality health and education services. Estimates suggest that each year, at least 1.5 million girls under 18 get married in India. Nearly 16 per cent adolescent girls aged 15-19 are currently married.

I have provided you countless examples of this discrimination against women which is why we, India re looking for a solution and a way to stop this, thank you

Topic: 2024-Gender Equality in Rural Areas
Country: Iran
Delegate Name: Daniel Hernanz

Much like in domestic work, Iran knows the importance that rural women have in maintaining and advancing a country. Rural women have a significant role in the agriculture of Iran, playing an active part in crop production, fisheries and poultry raising and other livestock. It is thanks to these women that Iranian culture has always had a key emphasis on traditional family and cultural values.

Because of this, Iran has held in high priority the importance of women’s rights in these areas. In the 62nd session of the CSW, Iran highlighted its efforts to improve access to healthcare and education in rural areas, such as through community health worker programs. The delegation of Iran has also supported the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable development, expressing particular emphasis on Goal 2 (Zero Hunger) and Goal 5 (Gender Equality). Iran has also always highlighted the importance that Women in rural areas play in agricultural development and reaching food security. Iran has also always advocated for more overarching solutions, as zeroing in on just women, which only leads to ineffective solutions. This would include everything from encouraging agricultural development in all nations to zeroing in on struggles that rural people face, such as climate change. Iran recognizes the increased need for access to credit, training and markets for rural women, and would support resolutions based upon that.

Although Iran has recently struggled with its relations with other countries in the U.N., as it was expelled from the CSW in 2022, it hopes that this committee will not be a repetition of that and that all countries will respect national sovereignty and the integrity of the U.N..

As Iran is heavily impacted by this issue, the Iranian delegation is looking forward to collaboration on a resolution that proposes a multifaceted approach to solving this issue, which accounts for the multifactorial nature of it, that recognizes the importance rural women play in international food security and overall health, and urges nations to implement initiatives that increase access to markets for all people in rural areas. Iran will also advocate for a framework around traditional familial values. Iran also heavily encourages an unbiased resolution, that proposes an unilateral approach for each country, and does not target any one country, as not infringing on national sovereignty and respecting differences in culture should always be the committee’s top concern.

Topic: 2024-Gender Equality in Rural Areas
Country: Israel
Delegate Name: Taylor Winkelman

Gender Equality in Rural Areas
Israel
City High School
Taylor Winkelman

Since the state was founded in 1948, Israel has made numerous efforts to protect the natural rights of their citizens regardless of race, sex, or religion. Israel has grown from a barren desert to a booming technological center. The state of Israel’s growth has been not only economically, but also socially, especially protecting the rights of women. As of February, 25% of parliamentary seats are held by women. But, there isn’t as much awareness on what happens in other countries that have large rural areas.

Many Sub-Saharan countries are troubled by the lack if fresh and clean water that is accessible, the women of their households spend 40 billion hours a year collecting water. In Malawi, women spend eight times as much time fetching water and food. Women contribute in the same economic exchanges and jobs but do not get pay nor compensation. The UN discerns a big part of this issue to traditional values of gender roles. The lasting effect of gender roles creates lower wages for women and their tendency to underreport employment.Sixty to eighty percent of food production in developing countries is done by women, and in countries like Benin, some work 17 more hours a week than their men counterparts. In developing countries, they are vital to childcare, caring for the elderly, retrieving fuel, etc. If women were given the same opportunities, rural areas would see a 20 to 30 percent increase in the yield of their farms. Additionally, the 63% literacy rate could increase in developing countries. The more women that are educated, the more opportunities they have to join the workforce and expand the economy of their country.

Israel has acknowledged the importance of gender equality in rural areas by passing laws that affirm the protection of women’s rights. In 1951, they passed the Equal Rights Law that ensured representation of women in public bodies. They have furthermore added the Committee of the Status of Women to the Knesset, their parliament. More recently, two more significant laws have been passed on the topic of women’s rights, The Stalking Law (2001) and The Prevention of Sexual Harassment Law (1998). Both of these laws lay out protection for women who have experienced harassment and to prevent the harassment of women. The most early women’s protection, though, was in Israel’s Proclamation of Independence. “[t]he State of Israel will . . . ensure complete equality of social and political rights to all its inhabitants irrespective of religion, race or sex” acknowledges their natural rights.

Gender inequality is a threatening problem to women in rural areas of developing countries, and more effort is necessary to protect their rights and give women. If women are given access to the same rights and services as men, they can help grow the workforce and economy. Israel believes that it has notable legislation to protect women in rural areas. Unfortunately, the state has not been able to give their gender equality projects sufficient resources because of the ongoing defense needed against terrorist organizations. These terrorists threaten their existence as a sovereign nation. Israel believes once they can diffuse the conflicts, more resources and energy can be diverted to enforce their legislation on gender equality.

Works Cited
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. “The State of Food and Agriculture.” United Nations, https://www.fao.org/4/i2050e/i2050e.pdf. Accessed 27 November 2024.
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. “Women and Rural Employment.” United Nations, https://www.fao.org/economic/es-policybriefs/briefs-detail/en/?no_cache=1&uid=29511. Accessed 27 November 2024.
“ISRAEL.” the United Nations, https://www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/Review/responses/ISRAEL-English.pdf. Accessed 27 November 2024.
Legal Information Institute. “חוק שיווי זכויות האשה, תשי”א (Women’s Equal Rights Law of 1951).” https://www.law.cornell.edu/women-and-justice/resource/%D7%97%D7%95%D7%A7_%D7%A9%D7%99%D7%95%D7%95%D7%99_%D7%96%D7%9B%D7%95%D7%99%D7%95%D7%AA_%D7%94%D7%90%D7%A9%D7%94_%D7%AA%D7%A9%D7%99%22%D7%90-1951_%28women%27s_equal_rights_law_of_1951%29. Accessed 27 November 2024.
United Women Watch. “Facts & Figures: Rural Women and the Millennium Development Goals.” United nations, https://www.un.org/womenwatch/feature/ruralwomen/facts-figures.html#:~:text=Men%27s%20average%20wages%20are%20higher,than%20rural%20men%20%5B21%5D. Accessed 27 November 2024.

Topic: 2024-Gender Equality in Rural Areas
Country: Canada
Delegate Name: Sage England

Gender Equality in Rural Areas is required in setting equivalent standards for women and men across the globe, ensuring equal treatment, education, land, and finance, and opportunities in general. The Dominion of Canada is involved in this issue due to the country’s commitment to human rights and global equality. Gender Equality in Rural Areas is an issue as of recent due to gender inequality, unequal opportunities, and gender-based discrimination violence. The United Nations has developed certain initiatives to combat this issue, such as the ‘UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women’ (CEDAW), the ‘UN’s Rural Women’s Economic Empowerment Programs’, and certain United Nations Women’s initiatives in itself. Gender Equality in Rural Areas leads to health, happiness, peace, security, fairness, economic prosperity, and other limitless possibilities. Gender Equality promotes the world uniting as a nation, not a gender.

Gender Equality in Rural Areas remains an issue in The Dominion of Canada despite the amendments made to reinforce gender equality. The central issues include the access to healthcare and services, gender based violence, the gender pay gap, and underrepresentation in leadership. The Dominion of Canada’s policy on Gender Equality in Rural Areas is guided by our commitment to human rights, social justice, and inclusivity. We brought attention to this issue for public support, as well as implementing, reinforcing, and funding the ‘Gender Based Analysis Plus’, which assesses the impacts of policies, programs, and legislation on diverse groups of people. This ensures gender considerations are central to decision-making, engaging Canadian ‘Civil Society Organizations’ on key gender equality issues. ‘Women Entrepreneurship Strategy’, which works to close the gender gap in employment, entrepreneurship, and STEM fields, The ‘Pay Equity Act’, which ensures all workers pay of equal value, as well as the ‘National Action Plan on Gender-Based Violence’, focuses on prevention, support for survivors, and addressing systemic causes of violence. In Canada, the foundation of gender equality can be found in the Canadian Human Rights Act and the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and the right to equality is protected by ‘Federal Gender Equality Laws’. We work throughout Canadian provinces and territories to implement these values and calls to action across The Dominion of Canada. Globally, The Dominion of Canada has been recognized as a world leader in advancing gender equality by participating in the ‘United Nations Commission on the Status of Women’ and negotiating the Agreed Conclusions, helping advanced the rights of women globally, submitting Canada’s tenth report under the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, continuing Canada’s participation as a member of the Inter-American Commission of Women within the Organization of American States, and supporting efforts to advance women’s economic empowerment in the G7, G20, and Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation. Government officials in The Dominion of Canada who have addressed this issue include Justin Trudea, Prime Minister, Maryam Monsef, Former Minister of Women and Gender Equality, Marci Ien, Current Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Youth, Chrystia Freeland, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, Ahmed Hussen, Minister of International Development, and Karina Gould, Minister of Families, Children, and Social Development. Organizations The Dominion of Canada is united with the United Nations, United Nations Women, United Nations Commission on the Status of Women, UNICEF, the United Nations Security Council, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, G7, G20, the International Labour Organization, the Commonwealth of Nations, and the World Bank. Women in rural areas are responsible for half of the world’s food production while working as environmental and biodiversity stewards, and are our pillars for achieving the transformational economic, environmental and social changes required for sustainable development. Their limited access to health care, education, and finances are a few issues among the many they face, which further strain them due to the global food and economic crises and climate change. We undervalue these women and their work, not appreciating what they do for our world and society as a whole.

Decent progress has been made in the issue of Gender Equality in rural areas, although it is still imperfect. The Dominion of Canada strives to promote gender equality and equal opportunity, and with the assistance of resolutions such as the Resolutions on Gender Equality and Empowerment of Rural Women, the Human Rights Council Resolutions on Gender and Sexual Orientation, and the Resolution on Eliminating Violence Against Women and Girls, we aim to provide equal healthcare, finance, and opportunity to women in rural areas, promoting equality as a whole. The Dominion of Canada is capable and working to reach the goal of unity and equality across the world. We are willing to bring all countries together to work towards a world that can see everyone, man, woman, young, old, straight, LGBTQIA+, as equal.

Topic: 2024-Gender Equality in Rural Areas
Country: Bangladesh
Delegate Name: Annika Barnas

Country: Bangladesh
Committee: United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC); UN Women
Topic: Gender Equality in Rural Areas
Delegate: Annika Barnas
School: Mattawan High School

The topic of gender equality in rural areas is a reference to the concept of both men and women who live in rural communities having equal opportunities in all aspects. These aspects include education, resources, decision-making power, healthcare, employment, land-ownership, and more. The issue is that in these rural areas, as a result of entrenched societal norms and limited access to the necessary services, rural women often face lower literacy rates, limited economic autonomy, disproportionate amounts of domestic labor, all of which impact their ability to fully participate as a member of society. Key topics within this issue include rural women having significantly less access to land ownership, credit, and agricultural opportunities, all of which hinder their participation in economic activity. Additionally, girls in rural areas are less likely to complete their schooling as compared to boys; this is due to cultural expectations and social norms. Rural women also bear the burden of domestic labor which significantly limits their time for leisure, education, employment, and personal development; this is in addition to their exclusion from domestic and community decision making. Rural women are also extremely impacted by climate change as they depend on agriculture and have limited access to adaptation strategies.
The United Nations has previously implemented various initiatives to empower rural women, such as supporting rural female leadership and women’s participation in law and policy development. They have also focused on improving the status of rural women through the Millennium Development Goals, by observing the International Day of Rural Women, working to improve access to education for rural women, and supporting economic empowerment of these women. The United Nations has also adopted several resolutions to improve the conditions of women in rural areas. A/RES/64/140 was passed in 2009 and aimed to address and improve the conditions of rural women. A/RES/62/136 passed in 2007 and also focused on improving the situation of women in rural areas. A/RES/78/150 was passed in 2023 and worked to achieve gender equality and empower women and girls in rural areas to work for sustainable development; it also reaffirmed the importance of eliminating discrimination against women and girls, and ensuring their access to education, justice, and accountability. Finally, S/RES/2467 was passed in 2019 and emphasized a survivor-centered approach to addressing sexual violence in conflict and post-conflict situations, directly improving conditions for rural women.
Bangladesh has been affected by the issue of gender equality in rural areas, as gender norms are very patriarchal and the number of men in formal employment and education continues to outnumber that of young women. There remains a large financial gap between men and women; there are also other forms of inequality- child marriages and gender based violence- that continue to persist.
In Bangladesh, progress towards gender equality in rural has resulted in positive impacts such as, increased female enrollment in schools (resulting in higher literacy rates), better health and economic opportunities for families, reduced maternal mortality rates, more women participating in the workforce, increased household income and financial independence, increased decision-making power of women, reduction of poverty, etc. However, challenges such as early marriage, gender stereotypes, limited access to finance, and gender-based violence, continue to restrict improvements. Overall, Bangladesh supports the improvement of the conditions of rural women.
Some proposed solutions to this issue include, expanding access to schools by building more education institutions so that more women have access to them, providing financial literacy education and market access to women (particularly women in agriculture) so that they better understand the finances and can have more financial independence, increasing employment opportunities for women so that they can participate in the workforce, promoting land-ownership rights for women, ensuring access to technology and agricultural training that is specifically tailored to the needs of rural women, working to eliminate gender-based violence and child marriage, and challenging gender stereotypes and patriarchal social norms. All of these solutions would allow for an increase in equal opportunities for women in rural areas.

Citations:
https://www.worldbank.org/en/news/feature/2011/09/22/getting-to-equal-how-educating-every-girl-can-help-break-the-cycle-of-poverty#:~:text=Educating%20girls%20is%20one%20of%20the%20strongest,making%20sure%20education%20counts%20and%20that%20it
https://openknowledge.fao.org/server/api/core/bitstreams/317db554-c763-4654-a0d3-24a8488bbc3a/content/status-women-agrifood-systems-2023/transforming-agrifood-gender-equality.html#:~:text=Targeting%20both%20spouses%20with%20extension%20services%20is,co%2Dheads%20in%20an%20agricultural%20extension%20training%20for
https://www.usaid.gov/bangladesh/gender-equality-and-womens-empowerment
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8293807/
https://www.securitycouncilreport.org/un-documents/document/s-res-2467.php#:~:text=Overview%20of%20Security%20Council%20Resolutions,abstentions%20(China%20and%20Russia).
https://www.un.org/en/ga/78/resolutions.shtml
https://www.un.org/en/ga/62/resolutions.shtml
https://research.un.org/en/docs/ga/quick/regular/64

Topic: 2024-Gender Equality in Rural Areas
Country: Egypt
Delegate Name: Ella Woods

Egypt
UN women
Gender Equality in Rural Areas

Egypt believes that women should be granted the same opportunities as men, no matter their economic situation. Rural women face many challenges such as access to education, healthcare and leadership positions. These women often lack basic services, access to the workforce and are confined by traditional gender roles. Because a large percentage of women in Egypt live in rural areas, their empowerment is critical to Egypt’s economic well-being. The solution to all of these problems is improving rural women’s access to the economy by strengthening their access to educational opportunities. In Colombia, financial inclusion for rural women and youth has created a virtual education program to educate rural women on how to manage their finances to combat low levels of financial education for women. El Salvador provides training on gender equality and agriculture to help women create their own home gardens. The success of economic education programs for rural women proves their benefit and demonstrates the importance of implementing them in Egypt.
In Egypt, women make up about 49% of the population but are underrepresented in the economy. This is because rural women are often under-educated in their financial abilities. In 2016, Egypt was ranked 132 out of 144 in women’s economic involvement by the gender gap index. Egypt has tried to combat this by introducing the National Strategy for Women Empowerment, a program that aims to enhance women’s roles in the economy by improving access to financial services and education for rural women. It also produced books and TV programs that advocate for gender equality making the resources easily accessible. The Egyptian Banking Institute is working to create financial literacy programs that specifically target women, raising awareness of banking services for women. Despite these measures, cultural barriers and lack of access to resources persist and prevent women’s full benefit from financial education resources.
Egypt advocates for a UN-sanctioned policy that encourages countries with high percentages of rural women to create and fund programs that help financially educate them. This goal can be achieved by creating financial educational programs for adult women, including financial education in school curriculums, creating financial support networks for rural women that are easy to access, and publishing more accessible information about good spending habits online. Through these measures, it will be ensured that boys and girls are taught financial literacy at a young age, and women who have not been empowered to participate in the economy can easily find resources that help them make good financial decisions. These programs’ overall intention should be to see an increase in women’s involvement in the economy. An example of this outcome is in Nicaragua, where their Microcredit Programme for Rural Entrepreneurs educates and financially supports rural women’s small businesses, creating 104,000 new jobs and supporting 70,000 women.

Egypt is looking forward to collaborating with delegates from UN Women.

Works Cited

United Nations, General Assembly, Improvement of the situation of women and girls in rural areas, July 2023

Egypt, National Council for Women, National Strategy for the Empowerment of Egyptian Women 2030, March 2013

UN Women and ILO (2023). Consolidated report: National Fiscal Stimulus Packages from a Gender Equality Perspective.

Topic: 2024-Gender Equality in Rural Areas
Country: Guyana
Delegate Name: Michael Fuger

The country of Guyana believes that women should have the same opportunities as men in rural areas. A large number of Guyanese people live in rural areas, so gender equality outside of large cities should not be ignored. Good education is especially important to allow people to get better jobs.

In the last few years, Guyana has obtained money from the World Bank and other countries to build secondary schools in rural areas. Construction of new schools is needed to educate more people than before, including girls. Over 97% of girls are enrolled in primary and secondary schools in Guyana. Despite this, girls in coastal and urban areas continue to outperform girls in rural areas. Only 11% of secondary school students in rural areas earned a Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate in 2022. There are only a few universities in Guyana and in 2018, a study found that less than 10% of the working population had a post-secondary degree. In 2017, the World Bank found that only 53% of women aged 15-64 participated in the workforce. The Guyanese government is working to strengthen school leadership and make it easier for schools to get the resources they need. This program is called the Partnership Compact and is focusing on diversity to provide good education to all.

The country of Guyana believes that countries must be encouraged to invest in education in rural areas and invest in education for girls, specifically by building more schools. This is necessary to increase the number of women in the workforce and prepare people for jobs. The committee should also recommend universities make it easier to attend to increase the number of people with post-secondary degrees and allow them to find better jobs.

Topic: 2024-Gender Equality in Rural Areas
Country: Switzerland
Delegate Name: Bridget Lynn

Bridget Lynn

Richwoods High School

The Swiss Confederation

UN Women: Gender Equality in Rural Areas

Switzerland has supported the goals of UN Women since it was established. The delegation recognizes that gender equality should be a given right and that there is no reason that people should be discriminated against because of their gender. Switzerland wants to work towards making sure every person in the country has the same opportunities and rights as their peers. However, it’s important that Switzerland puts focus into the women and girls living in the rural areas in the country. Especially since 25.8% of Switzerland is rural, meaning a quarter of the population is living in those areas.

Gender roles are far more imposed in rural areas throughout society, which makes it harder for women to gain access to higher-level education or take on leadership positions. These opportunities give women a greater chance of having a long and successful career. But instead, a lot of women are forced to stay home and cook, clean, and take care of children.

Over the years, Switzerland has been taking steps to ensure that women have the same opportunities and rights as men. Women living in rural areas are far more likely to be unrepresented in decision-making; they have limited access to education, and even though they make up a large majority of agricultural workers, they still need to be paid. In response, Switzerland has been “Improving access for women to the job market, amending the necessary legal bases to enable women to participate in the economy on an equal basis; strengthening governments and public service to facilitate implementation of their programs in the area of gender equality.”

Switzerland recognizes the complexity of this situation and looks forward to improving the delegation’s views and policies on helping women gain equal rights and have the same opportunities as men. It is important that the Swiss delegation moves in the right direction so that women across the country have the ability to go to school and be a part of the country’s workforce.

Topic: 2024-Gender Equality in Rural Areas
Country: United States of America
Delegate Name: Sophia Piotrowski

In the past decade historians have grown accustomed to calls for a new history of the
“inarticulate.” Some rural women, Native Americans, Afro-Americans, Chicanas, Mexicanas,
and Hispanics have suffered a historical silence in direct relation to the social conditions that
kept them nearly totally illiterate.5 Combine illiteracy with farm work loads that kept even
“scribbling women” too busy to write much, and cultural attitudes that consistently devalued
women and their documents, and it is a wonder that we have any historical materials at all.
Women living and working in rural areas have been perceived and treated as second-class
citizens. Despite the low level of recognition given to their work, their socio-economic
contribution to the welfare of their households and communities is immense.6
In rural America people have good jobs — jobs that pay approximately $43,000.7 People
who work in rural America make up 13% of the US workforce (14.9 million out of 119 million).
50% of rural jobs are good jobs and 54% of urban jobs are good jobs. This shows that urban
workers aren’t that far ahead of rural workers. However, that’s not to say that everyone in rural
areas has a fair shot at these good jobs. Similar to urban areas, men held a disproportionate
number of good jobs in rural areas, according to the report. Despite making up 52% of the
25-to-64 year-old workforce in these regions, men hold 63% of the good jobs. This proportion
makes them equal to men in urban areas – 52% of the workforce and 60% of good jobs – but not
in the percentage of women with good jobs in rural areas. Women comprise 48% of the rural
workforce but only 37% of the good jobs go to them, researchers found. This means they have it
tougher in rural America than they do in urban settings, where they are 48% of the labor and
have 40% of the good jobs there. Men also make more money than women in rural areas, across
the board, the report noted. From white-collar and blue-collar jobs to service professions and
protective services, men were found to be paid more. Despite 41% of women in rural areas,
compared to 26% of men, working white-collar jobs, the earnings for women were lower than
those of men, $50,000 and $71,000, respectively.
Although in some ways the United States has made good progress toward gender equality
in rural areas there is still a lot of work to be done. Some ways that we can make rural areas more
gender equal is by empowering women smallholders, investing in women’s care, supporting
women’s leadership, funding women’s organizations, providing better education for people inrural areas and protecting women’s health.8 All of these initiatives will help make women more
equal in rural areas
7 Kyaw, Arrman. “Report: Workers in Rural America Almost Just as Likely to Have Well-Paying Jobs, amid Racial
and Gender Disparities.” Diverse: Issues in Higher Education, 14 Mar. 2024,
www.diverseeducation.com/reports-data/article/15666272/report-workers-in-rural-america-almost-just-as-likely-to-h
ave-wellpaying-jobs-amid-racial-and-gender-disparities. Accessed 19 Nov. 2024.
6 “Gender Equality in the Rural Sector: The Ever-Present Challenge | International Labour Organization.”
Www.ilo.org, 2 Mar. 2012, www.ilo.org/resource/article/gender-equality-rural-sector-ever-present-challenge.
5 Faragher, John Mack. “History from the Inside-Out: Writing the History of Women in Rural America.” American
Quarterly, vol. 33, no. 5, 1981, p. 537, https://doi.org/10.2307/2712802.

Topic: 2024-Gender Equality in Rural Areas
Country: Russian Federation
Delegate Name: Jacob Zhang

United Nations Women
Gender Equality In Rural Areas
Russian Federation
Jacob Zhang
Forest Hills Northern High School

Gender equality in rural areas has become a pressing topic of discussion, with many women facing limited access to education, healthcare, and economic opportunities. In Russia, many of these challenges are made up of traditional family structures and also the lack of necessities and infrastructure in remote areas. To improve the development of rural communities, and to help with the personal well-being of many women, this issue must be addressed in a practical and sensitive approach that promotes long-term economic growth and stability.
In Russia, rural areas force many women to occupy roles centered around family and caregiving, with limited access to resources needed to pursue an education or career. The lack of infrastructure in rural areas negatively affects the ability to access quality healthcare, schools, and employment, leaving many women at a disadvantage compared to women in urban areas. This has worsened the economic challenges faced in rural communities, which often instead rely on traditional industries. It is necessary for political representation for rural women and their needs.
While challenges remain persistent, Russia has started to improve the lives of rural women through investments in rural healthcare and education, as well as infrastructure projects that aim to improve transportation and connectivity to the more remote areas. On average, approximately 15 percent of rural women in Russia have limited access to higher education. Additionally, agricultural development programs that include a focus on women, encourage their participation. Still, Russia stays steadfast in resisting external pressures to create conflict with traditional family structures, to emphasize gradual change.
To promote gender equality in rural areas, Russia proposes the strengthening of schools, hospitals, and transportation, as well as programs that provide vocational training to support women’s participation. Russia also calls for international collaboration that focuses on economic development initiatives that give opportunities to women without creating culturally insensitive regulations. By addressing these issues, Russia aims to create equality while preserving the unique characteristics of each rural community.

Topic: 2024-Gender Equality in Rural Areas
Country: Venezuela
Delegate Name: Kaitlyn Konyndyk

UN Women
Gender Equality in Rural Areas
Venezuela
Kaitlyn Konyndyk
Forest Hills Northern High School

The United Nations has long recognized the importance of gender equality in rural areas. One of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) emphasizes gender equality, which stresses the need to empower women in rural areas by ensuring access to education and resources. Many specific UN initiatives, like the UN Women’s Rural Women Economic Empowerment Program, have affected international efforts to address gender equality in rural areas. Organizations such as the UN Women and Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) have launched programs that aim to improve rural women’s access to many things that could better their situation. Despite this, the issues are still pressing. According to the UN, rural women make up nearly 43% of the agricultural force in third world countries, but own less than 20% of agricultural land. They are also less likely to have access to education and other important resources than those not in rural areas. Additionally, they also face higher rates of poverty and gender based violence than non-rural women.

The Constitution of Venezuela (1999) guarantees equal rights for men and women, which includes rural areas. So, gender equality in rural areas has been acknowledged. Yet, little progress has been made because of it. Though, there have been programs like Misión AgroVenezuela and Misión Madres del Barrio that have sought to give women financial support, agricultural trading, and resources. But even with those programs, because Venezuela’s economic and political crises have had little progress, women in rural areas are disproportionately affected by poverty. We have supported initiatives to reduce inequalities in rural areas; however, we still need international aid to address issues and to ensure the sustainability of their programs.

Venezuela proposes a multi-faceted approach to achieving gender equality in rural areas that includes focusing on providing better access to resources, more educational opportunities, and giving women more power in decision-making processes. They advocate for stronger international cooperation to provide funds for community centers and roads which directly benefit women. Additionally, Venezuela advocates for the creation of regional training destinations to encourage rural women to gain skills in sustainable agriculture, technology, and more. Venezuela looks forward to collaborating with fellow delegates on this issue.

Topic: 2024-Gender Equality in Rural Areas
Country: Switzerland
Delegate Name: Bridget Lynn

Switzerland has supported the goals of UN Women since it was established. The delegation recognizes that gender equality should be a given right and that there is no reason that people should be discriminated against because of their gender. Switzerland wants to work towards making sure every person in the country has the same opportunities and rights as their peers. However, it’s important that Switzerland puts focus into the women and girls living in the rural areas in the country. Especially since 25.8% of Switzerland is rural, meaning a quarter of the population is living in those areas.

Gender roles are far more imposed in rural areas throughout society, which makes it harder for women to gain access to higher-level education or take on leadership positions. These opportunities give women a greater chance of having a long and successful career. But instead, a lot of women are forced to stay home and cook, clean, and take care of children.

Over the years, Switzerland has been taking steps to ensure that women have the same opportunities and rights as men. Women living in rural areas are far more likely to be unrepresented in decision-making; they have limited access to education, and even though they make up a large majority of agricultural workers, they still need to be paid. In response, Switzerland has been “Improving access for women to the job market, amending the necessary legal bases to enable women to participate in the economy on an equal basis; strengthening governments and public service to facilitate implementation of their programs in the area of gender equality.”

Switzerland recognizes the complexity of this situation and looks forward to improving the delegation’s views and policies on helping women gain equal rights and have the same opportunities as men. It is important that the Swiss delegation moves in the right direction so that women across the country have the ability to go to school and be a part of the country’s workforce.

Topic: 2024-Gender Equality in Rural Areas
Country: Senegal
Delegate Name: Sophia Schafer

Committee: ECOSOC
Topic B: Gender Equality in Rural Areas
Country: Senegal
Delegate: Sophia Schafer
School: Williamston High School

Gender Equality is one of the hottest topics we have today, but why? We have this big rift between men and women because of the deep roots of patriarchy in countries like Senegal. Senegal is willing to look past these discriminations, and we are making many steps to help empower more women in our nation. Our organizations include the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) and the African Union’s Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa (Maputo Protocol). Along with these important steps we have taken to become a more equal nation, there are barriers as well, such as their lack of education and the impoverished state many women of Senegal live in today.

In rural Senegal, women play a vital role in agriculture and contribute greatly to food production and economies. Although rural societies in Senegal rely upon women very much, they are still excluded from many freedoms, such as access to land, education, healthcare, and financial resources. According to recent data, 70% of the agricultural labor force in Senegal is women, but they own only 15% of our land. Along with this unjustness, women have lower education and literacy rates than men, along with more health challenges due to the lack of healthcare available to them. Despite these challenges, our national policies, such as the Emerging Senegal Plan (PSE) and our partnerships with other countries, are improving the lives of our women in education, healthcare, and financial inclusion.

Our nation has shown a strong interest in helping our women achieve equality within our borders by passing many laws, such as the Gender Equality Law, which secures women’s political representation in offices such as Parliament. Along with the Gender Equality Law, our National Strategy for Gender Equality promotes women’s rights, opportunities, health, and much more of their basic freedoms. Lastly, our Programs for Rural Women, including the National Agency for Rural Equipment, are partnerships with other nations, such as the UN Women, to improve all our women’s lives. Along with successes, there are also barriers, such as our nation’s undeniable, deeply rooted discrimination. Still, we are overcoming those, and we wish that, in this meeting of ingenious minds, we could also come together to help my country and theirs. Senegal only wishes to improve the lives of our women, and we will do anything to ensure that our women reach their full potential in our country.

Topic: 2024-Gender Equality in Rural Areas
Country: Ghana
Delegate Name: Elena Petros

UN Women
Gender Equality in Rural Areas
Republic of Ghana
Elena Petros
Forest Hills Northern

The issue of gender inequality has remained strong in rural areas worldwide, as they have limited access to education, health services, economic opportunities, and participation in leadership. In the context of Ghana, this problem is particularly evident in rural regions, where, according to the World Bank, women constitute 80% of the agricultural labor force. Notwithstanding their essential contributions, women in rural areas encounter structural impediments including constrained land ownership, inadequate access to financial resources, and marginalization in decision-making processes. These challenges exacerbate poverty, impede economic advancement, and obstruct community progress.
The United Nations has recognized that addressing these inequalities is of utmost urgency, expressed in the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal 5, which targets the empowerment of all women and girls. Programs like the UN Women’s Rural Women’s Economic Empowerment Initiative have also demonstrated that the empowerment of women-such as through access to resources and opportunities benefits the whole community. In Ghana, the reduction of such inequalities in rural areas is not only a call for human rights but also part of the core features of national development.

Ghana has recorded significant strides in gender equality, but most of these still need considerable efforts, particularly at the rural level. The country has adopted various policies addressing this, such as the Domestic Violence Act of 2007, and has created a Ministry of Gender, Children, and Social Protection to deal with issues relating to gender discrimination and the protection of the rights of women. Modern farming tools, training in farming, and access to credit are some of the programs under which rural women are empowered through initiatives such as Planting for Food and Jobs. While the gaps in economic participation have been reduced, especially through such initiatives, rural women in Ghana remain at a unique disadvantage because of deep-seated cultural norms, inadequate infrastructure, and systemic inequities. These challenges restrict individuals from pursuing education, seeking healthcare, or making economic decisions for themselves, which in turn supports the cycles of poverty for many families. Ghana has demonstrated its commitment to gender equality by becoming a party to CEDAW. The country has forged partnerships with international organizations such as UNDP and UN Women to address inequalities, particularly in rural areas. However, despite these efforts, some challenges remain insurmountable and require deeper, collective strategies. Ghana recognizes that while progress has been made, the active realization of gender inequality at rural levels will require innovative strategies and continued commitments by various national and international actors.
Ghana addresses this urgent question with a comprehensive approach comprising education, economic development, and infrastructure improvement. Educationally, Ghana would emphasize expanding access to educational opportunities at the rural level by establishing schools in remote districts, giving scholarships to girls from rural areas, and promoting vocational or STEM education to not only counterbalance the gender bias in education but also provide them with relevant skills that can enhance their employability.

Ghana encourages the growth of microfinance initiatives for rural women. With accessible loans and basic financial education, such programs may well help empower women to start their own enterprises, care for their families, and give back to their communities.

Finally, Ghana emphasizes the necessity for better rural infrastructure in health and transportation. Better health facilities will improve maternal health, while good roads will enhance women’s access to markets, schools, and other services.
Ghana advocates for the creation of a UN Women task force tasked with the monitoring and assessment of gender equality initiatives in rural regions globally. This task force would promote the exchange of knowledge among member states, thereby permitting the adaptation and execution of effective initiatives across different settings. Through these collaborative endeavors, Ghana seeks to empower women in rural areas, thereby enabling them to effect positive transformation within their communities and to contribute to both national and international advancement.
Ghana seeks to create a future in which all individuals, regardless of gender, are empowered through investing in rural women to be successful. The Republic of Ghana is committed to the realization of gender equality and invites the international community to join hands with it in addressing these issues for a fairer world for all.

Topic: 2024-Gender Equality in Rural Areas
Country: Syrian Arab Republic
Delegate Name: Katie Macey

The Syrian Arab Republic acknowledges that, in rural areas, there is typically limited access to resources, education, and technology compared to urban areas. This lack of accessibility in rural communities is due to factors like distance, economic constraints, and traditional views on gender roles. Additionally, Syria recognizes an international concern over the rights of women in rural areas. To address the feared lack of participation in public life and opportunities for women, individual countries can craft their own policies to promote gender equality in rural areas and improve educational access for women.

Around 30% of the Syrian population lives in rural areas. The Syrian government has previously acted to protect the rights and interests of the portion of the population in rural areas. The Syrian Commission on Family Affairs has worked to promote literacy, healthcare access, and employment opportunities for women in rural areas.

In Syria, the economy in rural areas is largely based around agriculture, with women playing a critical role in food production. Therefore, the government has created policies promoting agricultural output and encouraging the participation of women in agriculture. To promote production and ensure food security, Syria has encouraged the establishment of agricultural cooperatives in areas such as vegetable cultivation and dairy production. Additionally, the government has supported the establishment of women-only cooperatives and the involvement of women in co-ed cooperatives. These initiatives have allowed for greater participation of women in the agricultural sector in rural areas.

The Syrian Arab Republic will continue to welcome support from international organizations, such as the Food and Agriculture Organization and the International Fund for Agricultural Development, in cooperative efforts with the Syrian Ministry of Agriculture and Agrarian Reform to improve women’s skills in various agricultural fields. However, the Syrian Arab Republic opposes international regulations on the role of women in agricultural areas. In accordance with Syrian sovereignty, the government has been able to create regulations and craft initiatives that correspond to the specific needs and societal structures of Syria. The government remains committed to ensuring that these policies align with national priorities and cultural values.

In order to address the unique situations present in each individual nation, domestic policies should be relied on to address gender equality in rural areas. The conditions present in rural areas and the ideals for the role of women in society differs across nations. Therefore, common guidelines from the United Nations would not address the specific challenges of goals of individual countries.

Works Cited
“FAO Tackles Gender Issues in Rural Communities with Pioneering Pilot Projects.” Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, https://www.fao.org/syria/news/detail-events/en/c/1677736/. Accessed 17 Nov. 2024.

Gender in Agriculture Sourcebook. The World Bank, 2008, https://documents1.worldbank.org/curated/en/799571468340869508/pdf/461620PUB0Box3101OFFICIAL0USE0ONLY1.pdf. Accessed 17 Nov. 2024.

“National Centre for Agro. Inform. and Documentation, Ministry of Agriculture and Agrarian Reform.” AGRIS, https://www.fao.org/agris/data-provider/national-centre-agro-inform-and-documentation-ministry-agriculture-and-agrarian#:~:text=Syrian%20Arab%20Republic-,National%20Centre%20for%20Agro.,for%20agriculture%20affairs%20in%20Syria. Accessed 17 Nov. 2024.

“Supporting Syrian Women’s Engagement in the Syrian Political Process: Building a Constituency for Peace.” UN Women – Arab States, https://arabstates.unwomen.org/en/what-we-do/peace-and-security/syria-wps-programme. Accessed 17 Nov. 2024.

“Syria.” The World Factbook, https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/syria/. Accessed 17 Nov. 2024.
Syria, www.undp.org/sites/g/files/zskgke326/files/migration/arabstates/Syria.Summary.19.Eng_0.pdf. Accessed 17 Nov. 2024.

Topic: 2024-Gender Equality in Rural Areas
Country: Philippines
Delegate Name: Grace Hatton

Gender equality is a pressing issue, especially in rural communities. Women in rural areas have less access to education, and health care, and fewer opportunities to hold leadership positions and create change for other women. In Colombia, specifically, 25% of the population resides in rural areas making this an important issue. Women in these areas significantly contribute to the economy and their communities. Colombia realizes the critical need to improve policies to support women in these communities to gain better access to leadership roles, resources, and land rights.

Colombia recognizes that gender equality is necessary for a strong rural economy. To address this, the government has made significant policies to ensure equality and improve women’s lives, which would serve as a foundation for this committee. It is important to provide rural women access to land credit and vocational training. Equally important is to increase the equality of representation of women in decision-making processes and leadership positions, which requires increased repression of women at all levels. Additionally, healthcare gaps must be bridged by expanding telemedicine and mobile health services in underserved rural communities.

Colombia has shown commitment to advancing women’s equality through policies that could serve as a model for other countries. The Quota Laws (Law 581 of 2000 and Law 1475 of 2011) require minimum representation of women in leadership, making sure their voices are part of decision-making. As a part of the Colombian National Development Plan, Colombia has focused on increasing vocational training, educational scholarships, and subsidizing child care for women in rural communities. These policies advance the rights and recognition of rural women. Law 731-2002 also empowers women by improving access to land ownership, resources, and credit. Similarly, this law focuses on education and vocational training to improve women’s lives in rural areas. By implementing similar policies on a global scale the gender gaps in rural regions will decrease.

Furthermore, Colombia also brings attention to the regional and international politics that are in line with its national politics. The Montevideo Strategy for Gender Equality, adopted in 2016, provides a framework for addressing rural gender inequality in Latin America, placing great importance on incorporating a gender perspective into policies and incorporating women into decision-making in rural areas. Likewise, Colombia still acknowledges the Beijing Platform for Action of 1995 which recognized the important roles women play in rural areas. The constant upholding of such frameworks by Colombia underlines its commitment to global corporations.

Colombia is committed to achieving gender equality in rural areas. Through national, regional, and global policies Colombia has shown that empowering rural women is essential for sustainable development. By working together member states can create solutions by increasing access to land, education, healthcare, and leadership for women who live in rural areas.

Citations
FAO. Legislation to Guarantee the Rights of Rural Women in Latin America and the Caribbean. https://openknowledge.fao.org/server/api/core/bitstreams/08ee7fbf-ef5b-4242-9c69-59a662eafcc3/content

IFAD. Women’s Land Rights in Colombia, 2024 https://www.cifor-icraf.org/publications/pdf_files/Books/Socio-legal-review-Colombia.pdf
“New Policies Promise Greater Equality for Colombia’s Rural Women – Rights + Resources – Supporting Forest Tenure, Policy, and Market Reforms.” Rights + Resources – Supporting Forest Tenure, Policy, and Market Reforms – Supporting Forest Tenure, Policy, and Market Reforms, 9 June 2015, https://rightsandresources.org/blog/new-policies-promise-greater-equality-for-colombias-rural-women/.

Ross, Jen. “Growing Rural Women’s Land Ownership across Colombia’s Countryside.” UN Women Data Hub, 24 July 2024, https://data.unwomen.org/features/growing-rural-womens-land-ownership-across-colombias-countryside.

Topic: 2024-Gender Equality in Rural Areas
Country: Colombia
Delegate Name: Lillian Navin

Gender equality is a pressing issue, especially in rural communities. Women in rural areas have less access to education, and health care, and fewer opportunities to hold leadership positions and create change for other women. In Colombia, specifically, 25% of the population resides in rural areas making this an important issue. Women in these areas significantly contribute to the economy and their communities. Colombia realizes the critical need to improve policies to support women in these communities to gain better access to leadership roles, resources, and land rights.

Colombia recognizes that gender equality is necessary for a strong rural economy. To address this, the government has made significant policies to ensure equality and improve women’s lives, which would serve as a foundation for this committee. It is important to provide rural women access to land credit and vocational training. Equally important is to increase the equality of representation of women in decision-making processes and leadership positions, which requires increased repression of women at all levels. Additionally, healthcare gaps must be bridged by expanding telemedicine and mobile health services in underserved rural communities.

Colombia has shown commitment to advancing women’s equality through policies that could serve as a model for other countries. The Quota Laws (Law 581 of 2000 and Law 1475 of 2011) require minimum representation of women in leadership, making sure their voices are part of decision-making. As a part of the Colombian National Development Plan, Colombia has focused on increasing vocational training, educational scholarships, and subsidizing child care for women in rural communities. These policies advance the rights and recognition of rural women. Law 731-2002 also empowers women by improving access to land ownership, resources, and credit. Similarly, this law focuses on education and vocational training to improve women’s lives in rural areas. By implementing similar policies on a global scale the gender gaps in rural regions will decrease.

Furthermore, Colombia also brings attention to the regional and international politics that are in line with its national politics. The Montevideo Strategy for Gender Equality, adopted in 2016, provides a framework for addressing rural gender inequality in Latin America, placing great importance on incorporating a gender perspective into policies and incorporating women into decision-making in rural areas. Likewise, Colombia still acknowledges the Beijing Platform for Action of 1995 which recognized the important roles women play in rural areas. The constant upholding of such frameworks by Colombia underlines its commitment to global corporations.

Colombia is committed to achieving gender equality in rural areas. Through national, regional, and global policies Colombia has shown that empowering rural women is essential for sustainable development. By working together member states can create solutions by increasing access to land, education, healthcare, and leadership for women who live in rural areas.

Citations
FAO. Legislation to Guarantee the Rights of Rural Women in Latin America and the Caribbean. https://openknowledge.fao.org/server/api/core/bitstreams/08ee7fbf-ef5b-4242-9c69-59a662eafcc3/content

IFAD. Women’s Land Rights in Colombia, 2024 https://www.cifor-icraf.org/publications/pdf_files/Books/Socio-legal-review-Colombia.pdf
“New Policies Promise Greater Equality for Colombia’s Rural Women – Rights + Resources – Supporting Forest Tenure, Policy, and Market Reforms.” Rights + Resources – Supporting Forest Tenure, Policy, and Market Reforms – Supporting Forest Tenure, Policy, and Market Reforms, 9 June 2015, https://rightsandresources.org/blog/new-policies-promise-greater-equality-for-colombias-rural-women/.

Ross, Jen. “Growing Rural Women’s Land Ownership across Colombia’s Countryside.” UN Women Data Hub, 24 July 2024, https://data.unwomen.org/features/growing-rural-womens-land-ownership-across-colombias-countryside.

Topic: 2024-Gender Equality in Rural Areas
Country: Albania
Delegate Name: Stella Yakima

Gender equality is an ever-pressing issue. This is a well-known fact yet little has been done about it, especially in rural areas. Typically, working women in rural areas receive less pay for their work than men and only hold part-time or low-wage jobs. Not only is gender inequality very present in the working world but also in education, especially the early years. Roughly 40% of women ages 18 and above have completed secondary school according to the gender analysis consensus from Albania. Not only are women and girls making less money and working fewer hours than the average man, but they also lack the education and resources to change that.
During Albania’s socialist arc, many poor men lost their land. This was, and still is, a huge issue. Over half of the population depends on agriculture so taking away land means taking away money from those who already have little to none. Even after all of this, Albania was still struggling so they turned to communism which benefitted them greatly– economically for a short time. During this time, many were asked to leave their job, imprisoned in forced-labor camps, and even executed, which meant fewer people to stimulate the economy, let alone the agricultural sector. No one was allowed to travel abroad and all places of worship were closed. After the communist rule ended, Albania returned to democracy and officially joined NATO in 2001. All this to say, the Albanian economy has gone through many highs and many lows yet no matter what, the people are still treated poorly.

In Albania, women make 18¢ less than every dollar a man makes, according to the UN Women of Europe and Central Asia. This number is double for women living in rural areas– who make up nearly half of Albania’s population. Over half of the women ages 15-49 have experienced some form of domestic violence according to the UN Women. Not only does Albania recognize the gender discrimination that is going on in our nation but we are also willing to work to fix it. Women are continuing to grow in numbers in government roles. These women will hopefully become advocates for all women in Albania who are facing discrimination. Albania is also working on schools and education in general and making it more accessible for all because of the high rates of children who do not go to school.

The United Nations has been working with the Albanian government, private sectors, and civil societies very closely to find a solution for the issue of gender discrimination. Albania has been encouraged by the United Nations to work to continue to improve upon the legal and political aspects that affect gender equality along with the social aspects of it. Albania has also been working to provide better access to employment opportunities for women, especially women who live in rural areas. Albania has been uplifted by the United Nations in hopes to work towards ending violence against women. This includes expanding services that are used to help survivors of domestic violence, advocating for free legal aid, improving economic opportunities for trafficking survivors, and even promoting awareness in the media and education for zero-tolerance regarding violence against women.

Gender discrimination and the lack of equality affects Albania directly. Albania needs women to work and even further needs women to work for the same amount of money that men make. But how can we do this? Albania proposes to the United Nations the creation of a system that separates female and male workers. They would work the same jobs for the same time and the same pay yet separately. This will help women to learn how to support themselves and teach others while also keeping them safe. As previously stated, domestic violence is a huge problem that most Albanian women face. Keeping men and women separate will lower the time they spend around each other and ultimately lower the chance of domestic violence. Albania looks forward to working with fellow delegates in committee to achieve an effective solution to this issue.

Works Cited
“Albania.” UN Women | Europe and Central Asia, eca.unwomen.org/en/where-we-are/albania.
“Economic Empowerment.” UN Women | Europe and Central Asia, eca.unwomen.org/en/where-we-are/albania/economic-empowerment.
Elez Biberaj, and Peter R Prifti. “Albania | History, Geography, Customs, & Traditions.” Encyclopædia Britannica, 8 Mar. 2019, www.britannica.com/place/Albania.
“Ending Violence against Women.” UN Women – Europe and Central Asia, eca.unwomen.org/en/where-we-are/albania/ending-violence-against-women.
“Facts & Figures.” UN Women, 2012, www.unwomen.org/en/news/in-focus/commission-on-the-status-of-women-2012/facts-and-figures.
“Leadership and Political Participation.” UN Women – Europe and Central Asia, eca.unwomen.org/en/where-we-are/albania/leadership-and-political-participation.
Taylor-Braçe, Alice . “Albania Grapples with Gender Equality at Home, Work, Politics.” Www.euractiv.com, 4 May 2023, www.euractiv.com/section/politics/news/albania-grapples-with-gender-equality-at-home-work-politics/. Accessed 19 Nov. 2024.

Topic: 2024-Gender Equality in Rural Areas
Country: Republic of Korea
Delegate Name: Reagan Overmyer

UN Women
Williamston High School
Reagan Overmyer
South Korea
Gender Equality in Rural Areas

The idea of gender equality has spread worldwide- accepted in some nations and actively resisted in others. As attention to gender equality has spread throughout Korean society, the importance of it has heightened, even in rural communities. However, the levels in rural areas are drastically lower than in urban areas. Gender inequality increases the burden and conflicts relating to the person involved, and is directly linked to agricultural communities. Women are still being paid less for the same amount of work and their employment opportunities are very limited because of expectations in their household. South Korea wants effective, long-lasting change, and fast.

Gender equality has been key to South Korea’s agenda since the 1970s. Women in Development (WID) was supported initially but did not bring upon significant change to communities in South Korea. Due to the limitations brought on by WID, GAD (Gender and Development) was pursued and has been pursued since the 1980s. GAD brought forth a more gender-based approach that focused on gender disparity and inequality for both men and women. In agricultural communities that do face gender inequality, there is a steady decline in women in that sector. In 2019, women made up 40% of the agricultural sector. South Korea ranks 124th out of 149 countries in terms of “Economic Participation and Economy,” 88th in female labor force participation, and 121st in wage equality even with the 13th largest economy. On average, the wage gap between men and women for doing the same job is 36.7%. Like in most cultures, women are expected to take care of the housework and children, which can disrupt their jobs. Research has found that funding social care and education on female employment has a positive impact on society.

South Korea believes that promoting gender equality is vital for the social and economic growth and development of every nation and that a resolution is long overdue. Education, empowerment, and employment opportunities are South Korea’s main priorities. There are certainly better ways to grow and strengthen the economy without promoting inequality, and they must be considered, if not applied for the betterment of every country. The Republic of Korea looks forward to working with countries like New Zealand, the UK, Ireland, and Spain.

Topic: 2024-Gender Equality in Rural Areas
Country: Peru
Delegate Name: Pearl Chandel

How women are treated is unjustifiable; due to unfair education for women, domestic abuse from women’s partners, and violence brought against them when voting. Due to the rigged education system against women, over 33% are illiterate. Relationships for women can be dangerous for them. On average of the 49% of the population of women, 61% of them have experienced some type of domestic abuse from their partners Ranging in age from 15 to 49. One out of three women have endured emotional violence from their husbands, and one out of ten women are victims of sexual abuse. Studies have shown that non-native Spanish speakers are more likely to have been victims of abuse than native Spanish speakers.
Violence from political views is not the only reason why women experience violence.
Women in Peru suffer when it comes to gender equality in rural areas. When voting in the early years of women’s suffrage, women were threatened if they tried to exercise their right to vote. Apart from being threatened with violence, most women were uneducated about their right to vote. They also had little money to travel to polls and use their voice to vote for who they thought would benefit them. We enacted the right for women to vote on September, 7th 1955. The adviser on gender issues and human rights in Peru’s Ministry of Women and Social Development had said in March 2002 that they would be increasing the age limit to get married to a girl. The age had been increased from 14 to 16 to be the same age as boys. When Covid-19 hit Peru experienced an increase in Gender-Based-Violence. The domestic violence hotline for women to call had an increase of 48%. Peru’s effort to decrease the need for these calls is to have better and more comprehensive training on emergency management and development with protocol for the hotline operators as well as first responders. Improved software and equipment were also added to improve the quality of the hotline. Peru’s education system has improved from 2008 to 2018 with enrollment almost doubling. Peru’s education grew faster than any other country in Latin America. From 2000 to 2019 active universities also grew from 74 to 139 universities. This is due to the economics that was going on at this time, due to rising numbers in raw materials like copper, silver, and zinc. This boosted their economy around the twenty-first century and continues to grow.
Peru believes in more educational resources for adult women and little girls alike. Peruvian women have suffered from the lack of education causing them not to have opportunities that men would have. Education is one of the major keys to success in this world and when we don’t open it up to every human, no matter the gender, society is set up for failure. Peru also thinks we should open up support centers for women who are in unsafe and abusive relationships to prevent any further damage to their mental and physical well-being. The right to vote for women is just as important as it is for men to vote. To improve the safety of women when voting we encourage women to travel with a trusted person or travel in groups. To help women be able to vote more easily we will bring the voting to them by sending ballots to them so they too can choose their futures.

Topic: 2024-Gender Equality in Rural Areas
Country: Spain
Delegate Name: Liberty Scanlin

Topic: Gender Equality in Rural Areas
Country: Spain
Committee: UN Women
Delegate Name: Liberty Scanlin
School: New Prairie High School

Gender equality is a prevalent issue within rural communities. The lack of opportunities
for women, the discrimination rampant in these areas, as well as the poor quality of
health care, have all contributed to a mass exodus of women from rural communities to
more urban areas in the past few years. Spain recognizes the importance of acting to
alleviate these stressors in order to protect the development of rural communities.
Spain acknowledges the need for reformation to occur to improve the opportunities
there for women and aid gender equality in rural areas. A focus needs to be put on
improving infrastructure and available opportunities for women within rural areas.
Spain supports efforts such as improving access to education, healthcare facilities, and
social services, so that women can better envision staying in rural areas to raise their
children. A main cause of women moving to urban areas is to find better opportunities
available for education, leisure, and work for both them and their families, and targeting
rural areas’ infrastructural development is a key process in addressing this issue. Spain
prioritizes working towards the goal of improving these types of infrastructure
development within rural communities to improve the retention rate of women there.
Spain emphasizes three main proposals to help combat gender inequality in rural areas.
The first proposal is to continue awareness campaigns to spread awareness about the
issues women experience in rural areas. Societal change is accelerated by speaking out
about the issues women face in rural areas. The second proposal regards continuing to
improve educational program access within rural areas. One preexisting program that
helps with this initiative is WIPO’s (World Intellectual Property Organization)
intellectual property educational programs that are catered to Spanish women in rural
areas. Programs like this teach rural women how to monetize their artisan skills within
their communities. These two continuations of existing programs and policies help to
advocate for and improve career access for women in rural areas. A policy Spain believes
could be implemented is the institution of new social programs such as childcare in
rural areas. Improving rural communities’ access to programs such as childcare allows
women to focus on their education and makes rural areas a place where women want to
stay.

Spain is looking forward to collaborating with delegates from UN Women to discuss
international efforts to address gender equality in rural areas.

Works Cited

Cobano-Delgado, Veronica, and Vicente Lorent-Bedmar. “Women’s Well-Being and Rural
Development in Depopulated Spain.” International Journal of Environmental Research and
Public Health, U.S. National Library of Medicine, 17 Mar. 2020,
pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7143739/.
“Empowering Rural Resilience in Spain: WIPO’s Initiative for Women Artisans in Spain’s
Abandoned Landscapes.” WIPO, 2024,
www.wipo.int/pressroom/en/stories/spain-women-rural-artisans-2024.html.
“Exteriores.” Https://Www.Exteriores.Gob.Es/, 2021,
www.exteriores.gob.es/es/ServiciosAlCiudadano/PublicacionesOficiales/2021_02_POLITICA%
20EXTERIOR%20FEMINISTA_ENG.pdf.
Robin.salter. “Spain’s Commitment to Support Women in Rural Areas.” AEIDL, 22 July 2022,
www.aeidl.eu/news/news/spains-commitment-to-support-women-in-rural-areas/.
“Spain – English.Doc.” Www.UN.Org,
www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/Review/responses/SPAIN-English.pdf. Accessed 10 Nov. 2024.

Topic: 2024-Gender Equality in Rural Areas
Country: Afghanistan
Delegate Name: Isha Oberoi

The delegation of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan is committed to a fiscally sustainable advancement of infrastructure to lessen gender inequality in rural areas. We recommend the use of the International Monetary Fund’s Poverty Reduction and Growth Trust to financially lead the efforts in advancing underdeveloped infrastructures. The underdeveloped infrastructure to be improved include (but are not limited to), the improvement of irrigation canals, roads, flood defenses, sanitation, telecommunications, transportation and water access. In addition to underdeveloped infrastructure, there are different aspects of rural life that discriminate against women in a plethora of other ways, such as-women’s role in agriculture and access to and understanding of medical care. Access to medical care in rural areas is not easy to attain. Increasing availability of medical health is of top priority to lessen the inequality in rural areas.

Agriculture
Globally, women working in agriculture will increase the individual farm output by at least an exponential 30%. This uptake in farm output will help to alleviate the cost of living crisis by lessening the international poverty thus, causing a decrease in inflation world-wide. Strengthening the agricultural industry by adding more jobs and employing more women who have been taught agricultural skills in those jobs to create a source of income for themselves. This will help with the extensive poverty, regrow war-torn regions, and help grow national economies, especially those of developing nations.

Increasing health literacy
The World Health Organization defines health literacy as “representing the personal knowledge and competencies that accumulate through daily activities, social interactions and across generations. Personal knowledge and competencies are mediated by the organizational structures and availability of resources that enable people to access, understand, appraise, and use information and services in ways that promote and maintain good health and well-being for themselves and those around them.” Improving health literacy is vital to promoting a health conscious society that can make informed decisions on their own health. To achieve this improvement, health organizations (local and international), need to address the education gap and accessibility of health care. Many people are not familiar with medical terms and personal anatomy, and statistical evaluations of risks and benefits that affect health. They struggle with understanding diagnoses, making important decisions on health under stress, understanding self-care for health conditions, and accessing trustworthy and accurate medical information. Especially for women in rural areas, it is challenging to receive medical care and health insurance in the first place. This is especially difficult for women because with the little care that is available to them, reproductive and sexual health care typically is not. By improving health literacy, women in rural areas will have access to more resources which encourages the gender equality we are all striving for.

Mobile clinics/ERs
The World Health Organization regularly deploys mobile clinics for people who otherwise would not be able to access medical care. These people usually reside in rural areas. These mobile clinics are vital in times of humanitarian crises and with the unending crisis of gender inequality in rural areas, the number of these clinics needs to be increased to combat these crises.

Topic: 2024-Gender Equality in Rural Areas
Country: Belgium
Delegate Name: Melanie Milam

Gender equality is a fundamental human right and is crucial to sustainable development. Still, globally women and girls in rural areas face challenges that make it hard for them to participate in social, political, and economic ways in society. While gender equality affects all women, those in rural areas face broader issues due to their geological isolation, limited access to education, and ingrained traditional gender roles. In most rural households, women are responsible for taking care of families, cleaning, and performing agricultural duties. Though women are responsible for a large part of what keeps the households running, they often lack land ownership, resources, decision-making power, and access to education. These challenges faced by women contribute to high rates of poverty and less education. Rural areas are home to 43% of the world’s population making the need to address gender equality in rural areas even more urgent. The delegation of Belgium recognized this issue and remains committed to prompting gender equality in rural areas.

Belgium has been an active supporter of the global movement to empower women for decades. Belgium ratified the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), which obligated all signatories to take action to improve the lives of women by eliminating discrimination in all areas. Belgium also supports Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), especially Goal 5 on fulfilling gender equality, and Goal 1 on ending poverty which particularly affects rural women. Nationally Belgium has passed legislation relating to gender equality. The Gender Equality Act of 2007 ensures equal pay for equal work and gender-based violence. Belgium is continuing to strengthen its laws and initiatives relating to increasing women’s roles in decision-making and equal opportunities in the labor force, These efforts contribute to Belgium’s broader commitment to gender equality.

Belgium recognized the immense importance of gender equality specifically in rural areas; it is for this reason that Belgium is open to creating equal opportunities for rural women and aiding this issue as soon as possible. Helping rural women goes beyond addressing gender disparities and inequality, it unlocks their full potential as economic contributors in society. Belgium strongly advocates for the creation of a social framework that puts first women’s access to education, independence, and technology; while also targeting discriminatory laws. Belgium calls upon all Member States to put forth efforts to end disparities and promote equal rights for rural women. I must ensure that gender equality becomes that reality for rural women everywhere: As no nation can thrive to its full potential when some of its people have been left behind.

https://www.statista.com/statistics/1328171/rural-population-worldwide/#:~:text=Over%20the%20past%20three%20 decades,continue%20for%20the%20coming%20 decades.

https://coface-eu.org/challenges-facing-girls-and-women-in-rural-areas/#:~:text=They%20explorer%20 challenges%20for%20girls,to%20education%20and%20 digital%20technology.

https://www.unwomen.org/en/how-we-work/commission-on-the-status-of-women

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9607949/#:~:text=The%20limited%20resources%2C%20lack%20of,resources%20(Junwen%2C%202013).

https://tbinternet.ohchr.org/_layouts/15/TreatyBodyExternal/Treaty.aspx?CountryID=17 &lang=EN

https://www.un.org/en/about-us/un-charter

Topic: 2024-Gender Equality in Rural Areas
Country: Germany
Delegate Name: Hunter Sturm

Country: Germany
Committee: UN Women
Topic: Gender Equality in Rural Areas
Delegate: Hunter Sturm
School: Williamston High School

In many rural areas around the world, women are facing a problem. Despite different reasons in different areas, the outcome is often the same: a perpetuated system of gender inequality. Women in rural areas are often at a significant disadvantage compared to men, lacking sufficient access to technological, economic, and social resources. This causes issues with access to and the quality of many different things, like agriculture, education, and healthcare. Women’s reproductive care is especially important, yet is often overlooked, leaving women in rural areas without little to no access to critical healthcare services.
The biggest issue German women face in rural areas is economic inequality. Over 50% of Germany’s land is used for agricultural purposes, a whopping 350,000 square kilometers. Yet despite all of this modernized economic use in these areas, only 11% of farm holdings are held by women, which puts Germany at the bottom of the rankings in terms of European Union countries. This statistic is even more alarming as women are responsible for almost half of the global food production. Germany has attempted some measures to address these inequalities broadly in the country, but still falls short of reaching true equality.
In the future, Germany would love to see something closer to true gender equality in rural areas. For the German people, this would be achieved through economic based legislation. Germany is open to many possible solutions, but would like to consider their viability both economically and socially. While some ideas may sound good on paper, Germany wants to make sure any possible solutions won’t overstep social and cultural norms, and won’t have negative economic impacts.

Topic: 2024-Gender Equality in Rural Areas
Country: Italy
Delegate Name: Abigail McKinney

In rural areas, there is a significant gender gap in the opportunities available, with women having much less chance at employment or running a successful business out of agriculture. In addition to being less likely to be employed, women also get paid on average 25% less than men for the work they do in rural areas. In these areas, women are often relegated to domestic roles due to the unavailability of positions willing to hire women, as well as the typical gender roles in place pushing them into these roles.

The Italian Republic is very concerned with equality. It is committed to taking measures to ensure that women have the same choices as men as to what to do with their lives.

There are already policies in place which are targeted towards closing the gender gap in the amount of inequality in rural areas. In Italy specifically, there is the National Code of Equal Opportunities between Women and Men, which was established in 2006. This code was a crucial first step in lowering the gender gap in rural areas when it came to work. It includes both paid opportunities and unpaid domestic labor. In 2021, Italy furthered their efforts towards reaching this goal by requiring a “gender equality certification” for employers to have before running their businesses. This introduction makes it so that women have more opportunities available in the workforce, and is primarily targeted towards jobs in rural areas, such as agriculture.

The ILO has a variety of projects which work towards promoting gender equality in rural areas, such as the Women’s Entrepreneurship Development Programme, which targets women who want to start their own businesses. In Italy, the amount of women’s start-up businesses in agriculture only makes up 0.9% of the total field. This program is working towards improving those numbers. Throughout Europe, the EU Rural Action Plan has been implemented, aiming to increase female entrepreneurship and economic participation in rural areas. In 2021, Italy adopted its first national strategy for gender equality, a plan which will carry on through 2026, and has been pouring funds into the Department of Equal Opportunities. In early 2024, Fabrizio Petri, President of the Inter-ministerial Committee on Human Rights of Italy, along with the rest of the delegation of Italy, shared their report on gender equality to the UN The Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women’s. Part of this plan is currently focused towards equal opportunities in the economy as a concern.

The Italian Republic is prepared to start putting in the work to allow for women to have equal employment and entrepreneurship opportunities in rural areas. It is recognized that women are equally capable of working in agriculture, and steps must be taken to demonstrate this. Negative stereotypes are currently blocking women from being employed or being paid as much for their employment, and Italy believes that rural areas need to be targeted as problem areas. Internationally, more protections should be put into place to ensure that women are being provided with equal opportunities and pay. Italy believes that member states should work together to find ways to put these measures into place. Italy also believes that more support should be put towards NGOs which are working to promote gender equality, and that each government individually should work towards fixing their own system.

Topic: 2024-Gender Equality in Rural Areas
Country: France
Delegate Name: Grace Johnson

Great Lakes Invitational Module United Nations Conference 2024

UN Women Committee

Delegation of France

Gender Equality in Rural Areas

A current issue in the United Nations is the inequality of women in rural areas. A major gap has been formed between men and women in rural areas due to the lack of educational, medical, and technological resources available for women. For one, women’s availability in the workforce is currently at risk due to the lack of communication technology in their hands. Women in rural areas are less likely to own a mobile device or mobile internet than men are in these areas (Mobile). Also, women take up almost half of the agricultural labor force in rural areas (43 percent) but are less productive due to their lack of technology. If they were given technological resources for their farms, it is said that their production would grow by about 30 percent. The lack of education girls in rural areas receive is also adding to this inequality. For example, only 39 percent of girls in rural areas attend secondary schooling, unlike 45 percent for boys. Women also make up two-thirds of the 796 million people who are illiterate in our world, and most of them are from rural areas (Ban). An extra year of primary schooling would increase a woman’s wage by about 20 percent, so this statistic clearly explains how the education gap expands the inequality crisis (Ban). Also, women in rural areas make 24% less than their male coworkers (Investing). In the workforce, fewer rural women than women in urban areas have leadership titles, partly due to the technological gap. Women in rural areas also struggle with getting the medical care and attention they need, especially when considering reproductive causes. Rural facilities tend to have a lack of the necessary resources and are very scarce, but women in rural areas have too great of a distance between them and urban hospitals.

11 million French women live in rural areas, one in three women in France, but still many face inequality struggles daily (Bordenet). For one, they undergo many struggles in employment and medical care (Bordenet). Part of these problems come down to the lack of public transport in rural France, as only 80 percent of women in these areas have their driver’s license compared to 90 percent of men (Bordenet). This makes it difficult for them to get to urban locations for jobs or medical appointments (Bordenet). Therefore, they must rely on the resources they have in their rural areas, which for healthcare needs, produces a problem. For example, rural hospitals tend to have more complications and poor post-pregnancy follow ups (Wiley). This could be due to the lack of medical professionals in rural France and the lack of hospitals as well, causing rural staff to be unprepared and understaffed (Wiley). Women in rural areas are at a disadvantage due to the lack of gynecologists and midwives in rural France, leading to more complications during pregnancies and less chance of them to get medical help (Wiley). Technology also proves to create a gap between men and women in rural France, as digital tools and learning opportunities for women are more limited (Tech). Since women have less access to technology than men, it makes job opportunities scarcer. For example, only 36.4 percent of women in rural France are employed, while 14.4 percent of women are still struggling to find jobs (Poverty). Education is also a problem for girls in rural areas, as school opportunities are very limited. For example, school closures without government approval in rural France were widespread in 2020, and creating new schools can be large expenditures (Report). Women having a lack of educational opportunities would only hinder their job search, which is already scarce in rural frontiers.

The Delegation of France believes that the best solution to this issue includes a multi-step program. The Delegation of France proposes a program to spread awareness and necessary resources to women in rural communities. For one, this program would partner with the French DsCodeuses Organization and make it an international initiative. This program has been giving free training programs for French women in technology to help get unemployed women able to join the tech sector (Ecosystem). This program has already trained over 1,000 women with the goal of training 2,000 more by 2027 (Ecosystem). This plan would help eradicate unemployment within rural women and also help with technological communication by helping them better understand the tech world. Through NGOs, like the International Institute of Rural Reconstruction (IIRR) and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), this program would also help share funds to rural communities to build more hospitals, schools, and public transport in desperate areas. These plans would call on UNESCO to fund the schools and the CARE organization to provide training to teachers. It would also call on the World Health Organization to fund hospitals and give medical professional training to upcoming staff. This program would also use community centers in rural and also urban areas to educate residents of the dire need for more medical professionals and teachers in these rural communities. The Delegation of France finds this inequality of great priority, and to be best “solved”, calls for multiple different approaches for the best long-term impact.

Bibliography:

“Ban Outlines Social Benefits of Ensuring Women Have Access to Education | UN News.” United Nations, United Nations, news.un.org/en/story/2011/05/376402. Accessed 11 Nov. 2024.

Bordenet, Camille. “One in Three French Women Live in Rural Areas, yet They Remain a Public Policy Blind Spot.” Le Monde.Fr, Le Monde, 11 Mar. 2024, www.lemonde.fr/en/france/article/2024/03/11/one-in-three-french-women-live-in-rural-areas-yet-they-remain-a-public-policy-blind-spot_6607998_7.html#:~:text=The%2011%20million%20French. Accessed 12 Nov. 2024.

“Investing in Rural Women: A Moral Imperative, a Strategic Investment and a Pathway to Sustainable Development.” European Economic and Social Committee, 27 Nov. 2023, www.eesc.europa.eu/en/news-media/news/investing-rural-women-moral-imperative- strategic-investment-and-pathway-sustainable-development. Accessed 12 Nov. 2024.

Poverty and Social Exclusion in Rural Areas – Final Report Annex I,
www.parisschoolofeconomics.com/behaghel-luc/rural_poverty_annex_fr_en.pdf.
Accessed 15 Nov. 2024.

“Mobile Has the Potential to Empower Rural Women, but Persistent Gender Gaps Must Be Addressed.” Mobile for Development, 16 Aug. 2024, www.gsma.com/solutions-and-impact/connectivity-for-good/mobile-for-development/blog/mobile-has-the-potential-to-empower-rural-women-but-persistent-gender-gaps-must-be-addressed/. Accessed 12 Nov. 2024.

Report, GEM. “Rural Schools in France: How Inclusive Are They?” World Education Blog, 17 Nov. 2020, world-education-blog.org/2020/11/17/rural-schools-in-france-how-inclusive-are-they/. Accessed 12 Nov. 2024.

“Tech Trailblazers: France.” UNICEF, www.unicef.org/stories/tech-trailblazers/france. Accessed 17 Nov. 2024.

Wiley Online Library | Scientific Research Articles, Journals, …,
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/ddi.13472. Accessed 12 Nov. 2024.

Topic: 2024-Gender Equality in Rural Areas
Country: Thailand
Delegate Name: Tess Kelkar

UN Women
Gender Equality in Rural Areas
Kingdom of Thailand
Tess Kelkar
Forest Hills Northern

Gender equality is the fundamental idea that the wants and needs of both women and men are important and should be taken into consideration. In rural areas, gender equality is not a priority due to a strict patriarchal society. People in rural areas enforce a stigma when women are treated equally as men. Gender equality or lack thereof, not only affects a woman’s social life, but also her career, education, and even their wellbeing. In 1948, Gender Equality was made part of the international human rights law by the UN General Assembly. In 1979, the UN General Assembly adopted the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), this helped set laws that helped target issues facing women. In its 30 articles, the Convention defines discrimination against women and sets up an agenda for national action to end such discrimination. The Convention targets culture and tradition as influential forces shaping gender roles and family relations. The Kingdom of Thailand has made significant strides in uplifting gender equality such as ratifying CEDAW, endorsing CEDAW’s optional protocol, endorsing Bejing Platform for Action (BPFA), and even committing to Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in 2015. Although this is the case, we still request support from the UN to be able to further ensure gender equality in the rural areas of our country.

This topic is an issue in the Kingdom of Thailand. Although we have made significant progress, in both policy wise and socially, persistent gaps continue to impede development and socio-economic growth. The labor force participation rate for women is only 59% compared to 75% for men. We have joined with the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women), and the International Labour Organization (ILO), in collaboration with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) who are implementing the United Nations Joint Programme (UNJP) accelerating progress towards an integrated and modernized social protection system for everyone in Thailand. We have also ratified CEDAW, endorsed CEDAW’s optional protocol, endorsed Beijing Platform for Action (BPFA), and even committed to Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in 2015 as previously mentioned. The issues that affect women the most is social stigma, and lack of job opportunities due to COVID-19. Our nation has implemented some strategies to help alleviate some of this pressure. On March 8th of 2015, Thailand passed the Gender Equality Act aimed at providing legal protections against gender discrimination. The Kingdom of Thailand requests support from the UN to be able to help fund policies that will help substantially decrease the amount of gender inequality.

The Kingdom of Thailand proposes a step solution that targets the main issues that affect women the most; lack of job opportunities due to COVID-19, and social stigma as previously stated. We propose to implement an educational program for the youth that teaches them about women and their contributions to our societies, create government funded programs that provide child-care and elderly-care for households with women who are qualified to participate in the workforce which will provide women more opportunities to work, have free primary and secondary education programs for women which will give women a better chance of getting better jobs and opportunities, and create policies that decrease the taxes for multinational companies that support women in the workforce. The Kingdom of Thailand requests the UN committee to help fund these programs nationally. With the committees support, we will be able to help women from every area of our country.

Sources

https://www.un.org/womenwatch/osagi/conceptsandefinitions.htm#:~:text=Gender%20equality%20implies%20that%20the,men%20as%20well%20as%20women.

https://www.unwomen.org/en/news/in-focus/commission-on-the-status-of-women-2012/facts-and-figures

https://www.un.org/en/global-issues/gender-equality

https://www.ohchr.org/en/instruments-mechanisms/instruments/convention-elimination-all-forms-discrimination-against-women

https://asiapacific.unwomen.org/en/countries/thailand#:~:text=Thailand%20has%20legally%20advanced%20women’s,and%20committed%20to%20the%20Sustainable

https://www.worldbank.org/en/country/thailand/brief/thailand-gender-and-inclusion-knowledge-management-notes

https://www.hrw.org/news/2015/09/21/thailand-gender-equality-act

https://www.undp.org/sites/g/files/zskgke326/files/2023-03/UNDP_domesticwork_draft14_EN_without_Bleed_0.pdf

Thailand: Passing of marriage equality bill a triumphant moment for LGBTI rights

Topic: 2024-Gender Equality in Rural Areas
Country: China
Delegate Name: Hannah Mathew

Committee: ECOSOC – UN Women
Topic: Gender Equality in Rural Areas
Country: China
Delegate: Hannah Mathew
School: Washtenaw International High School

China is alarmed by the effects of gender inequality, especially in rural areas. Women make up around half of the world’s population, but gender inequality persists everywhere in the world and is hindering social progress. This has especially been a problem for women in rural areas for many years, as they have been at an extremely high risk of facing gender/identity based discrimination. The UN has taken several initiatives to work towards solving this crisis. GA resolution 62/136 declared October 15th as International Day of Rural Women and supported a gender-sensitive education system considering the specific needs of rural women . GA resolution 72/148 supported development of specific assistance programs and advisory services to promote economic skills of rural women, invited governments to promote economic empowerment of women and supporting women entrepreneurs and women smallholder farms. However, despite these many initiatives, at the current rate of progress , it would take over hundreds of years to fully reach gender equality.

China has taken several initiatives to work at solving gender inequality in rural areas. Gender equality has been demanded in our constitution since 1954. The government of China has formulated and amended over 100 laws and regulations[such as the “Anti-Domestic Violence Law” and the “Criminal Law Amendment (IX)”] in order to provide guarantees to promote women’s development and safeguard women’s interests and rights. China’s 13th Five-Year Plan includes goals related to development of women in rural areas, including the expansion of the coverage of women’s “Two Cancers” screening in such regions. We have also made an outline for 2021-2030 on Women’s Development in China, with a main target of ensuring that land contract management rights, homestead use rights, and other rights and interests are equally accessible to rural women, and a strategic measure of making sure that rural women have equal economic rights and interests in rural land contracting work.

China suggests the UN Women committee collaborate with organizations like Plan International on increasing educational infrastructure in rural areas for women and/or provide a subsidy to such organizations solely intended for this purpose. China also suggests the committee to advocate for the amending and formulation of laws that protect women’s rights and promote their development, which could be done through working in collaboration with organizations like Association for Women’s Rights in Development. China also recommends the UN Women committee empower rural women through training them in leadership so they can take leadership roles in economic activity and decision making through hosting workshops in collaboration with organizations like Ask A Leading Woman that would train rural women in such leadership.

Works Cited
“FAO – Gender-Lex.” Fao.org, 2024, genderlex.fao.org/en/country/profiles/CHN/document/LEX-FAOC212986. Accessed 25 Nov. 2024.
“Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment.” UNFPA China, 2018, china.unfpa.org/en/topics/gender-equality-and-womens-empowerment.
People’s Republic of China Comprehensive National-Level Review Report on the Implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action .
“Resolution Adopted by the General Assembly on 18 December 2007 .” Documents.un.org, 12 Feb. 2008, documents.un.org/doc/undoc/gen/n07/471/93/pdf/n0747193.pdf. Accessed 23 Nov. 2024.
“Resolution Adopted by the General Assembly on 19 December 2017.” Documents.un.org, 17 Jan. 2018, documents.un.org/doc/undoc/gen/n17/454/11/pdf/n1745411.pdf. Accessed 23 Nov. 2024.
Secretary-General, UN. “Improvement of the Situation of Women and Girls in Rural Areas :: Report of the Secretary-General.” United Nations Digital Library System, UN, 24 July 2023, digitallibrary.un.org/record/4019030?v=pdf. Accessed 23 Nov. 2024.
United Nations. “Goal 5: Achieve Gender Equality and Empower All Women and Girls.” United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, United Nations, 2023, www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/gender-equality/.

Topic: 2024-Gender Equality in Rural Areas
Country: Saudi Arabia
Delegate Name: Raj Bayyapuneedi

Rural women play a critical role in agriculture and rural economies globally, making up 36 percent of all agricultural workers.
Despite this, their roles and potential are all too often undermined by gender inequalities. Discriminatory social norms, legal frameworks and institutions restrict women’s rights, independence, autonomy and opportunities. This not only affects their well-being and economic empowerment, but also the resilience of food systems. 

On average, women spend twice as much time as men on unpaid domestic and care work. The burden for rural women is even higher, as they lack access to equipment and labour-saving technologies.
Women are also less represented in rural organizations and institutions at both local and national levels, and thus are left out of decision making. Even within their homes, women’s voices often go unheard when it comes to financial and business affairs, including how to spend what they earn.
While there has been considerable progress in the past decades, women have less access than men to resources, including land, finance, education and essential farming inputs.
In Saudi Arabia, we have always struggled with gender equality
In Saudi Arabia, the adolescent birth rate is 8.3 per 1,000 women aged 15–19 as of 2021, down from 8.65 per 1,000 in 2009
.As of Dec-20, only 36.9% of indicators needed to monitor the SDGs from a gender perspective were available, with gaps in key areas, in particular: violence against women, unpaid care and domestic work and key labour market indicators, such as the gender pay gap. In addition, many areas – such as gender and poverty, physical and sexual harassment, women’s access to assets (including land), and gender and the environment – lack comparable methodologies for reguar monitoring. Closing these gender data gaps is essential for achieving gender-related SDG commitments in Saudi Arabia
We beleive that the arab states, the united states, egypt, jordan and japan can help us and work together with us to acheive this goal

Topic: 2024-Gender Equality in Rural Areas
Country: Algeria
Delegate Name: Sophia Mahajerin

UN Women
Gender Equality in Rural Areas
People’s Democratic Republic of Algeria
Sophia Mahajerin
Forest Hills Eastern High School

Algerian society has transformed several times throughout history. Centuries of Arab/Islamic dynasties, subsequent French occupation, and ultimately independence gained in 1962, have seen considerable evolution of gender roles. Women in these regions face higher rates of poverty, limited access to education, and restricted economic opportunities compared to urban areas. Additionally, rural women often lack access to healthcare and resources, which impacts not only their well-being but also the development of their communities. Modern Algerian society has seen advocacy on the behalf of women in formal legislation to improve women’s roles in the Mediterranean labor market as well as the government structure. Through political reforms supported by the United Nations, a goal of 30% female representation in elected assemblies has been established and often achieved. Legal protections for women have also been proposed, such as through the Family Code of 1984.

Algeria recognizes the harmful impact gender inequality has had on its citizens. The Gender Inequality Index (which is comprised of measures of reproductive health, economic status, and empowerment of women) remains quite high at 49.9%, implying that significant inequalities between men and women in Algerian society remain. The results fall short of women’s aspirations. Algeria has implemented policies to promote gender equality, focusing on improving women’s rights and participation in society, though significant gaps remain. The Algerian Constitution guarantees equal rights for men and women, and reforms to the Family Code have aimed to modernize gender roles, granting women more independence in marriage and divorce. The country has also ratified international conventions like the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) to align with global standards for gender equality. Because deep-rooted cultural standards have led to persistence of gender inequality in spite of these formal legislative efforts, further improvements are needed. Through activities of several UN organizations including the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF), the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), and the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women), efforts are underway to correct remaining gender disparities.

The People’s Democratic Republic of Algeria proposes the implementation of improved access to healthcare for women, to improve maternal mortality rates. Algeria also proposes further increasing target women representation percentages in government, so that their voices can be better heard. Additionally, Algeria proposes increased opportunities for women to obtain an education and join the workforce, therefore improving womens’ economic status. We would like to see a reduction in the Gender Inequality Index, as a measure of success of these efforts. Algeria commits to enacting these practical measures to achieve better gender inequality.

Topic: 2024-Gender Equality in Rural Areas
Country: Ireland
Delegate Name: Ava Gailits

Country: Ireland
Committee: UN Women
Topic: Gender Equality in Rural Areas
Delegate: Ava Gailitis
School: Williamston High School

Gender equality in rural areas is an important issue that needs to be addressed, as it affects many women around the globe. Women often have less access to resources in developing countries, even though they do a majority of the agricultural work. Stemming from traditional and cultural gender roles women are responsible for homemaking, which leads to a decreased pursuit of education, employment, and more based on the level of housework they are doing. In addition, women in these areas usually have less access to medical care, especially reproductive healthcare, while men generally have as much of a need for high-level healthcare. They don’t have many technological resources, which contributes to all of the issues above. When women do get jobs, there are often pay gaps, which can contribute to more hunger in families, especially those with single mothers.
Ireland has worked hard to combat this issue. Ireland’s CAP Strategic Plan is focused on promoting agricultural and rural development and takes tailored measures to empower women in farming. The On-Farm Capital Investment Scheme provides grants to support young and women farmers. This helps them get more equipment and technology and creates more equitable access to resources. Since 2019, Ireland has also maintained and added its comprehensive policy and legal framework that focuses on promoting gender equality and lifting women and girls.
In the future, Ireland would like to see improvements to infrastructure such as clean running water, and access to quality, affordable healthcare, to decrease the gap between women and men. These things would help to reduce the amount of domestic work that falls on women in rural areas. With this, people must be aware of women’s reproductive rights and the necessities and healthcare needs that come with that because one of the pieces of this issue is that women don’t have access to proper reproductive healthcare. Ensuring that resources are equally distributed is important too, and implementing programs to provide or give funds to purchasing equipment and other things is very important to combating the problem.

Citations:
https://www.ifad.org/en/rural-women#:~:text=While%20there%20has%20been%20considerable,unpaid%20domestic%20and%20care%20work.
https://www.un.org/womenwatch/feature/ruralwomen/facts-figures.html
https://capnetworkireland.eu/celebrating-women-in-agriculture-and-rural-communities/

Topic: 2024-Gender Equality in Rural Areas
Country: Indonesia
Delegate Name: Khushi Patel

UN Women
Gender Equality in Rural Areas
Indonesia
Portage Central High School

In the rural area of Indonesia, Indonesian women face immense challenges related to gender equality. There is a central belief/thought process in which men are viewed in a higher position as opposed to women. This belief leads Indonesian women mainly to play a role in their community as caretakers for their families while managing agriculture and crafting. They aren’t taken into account for education or job prosperity. In a broader view, they are imminently restricted economically. Indonesia has realized how negative this situation is for the many capable women of their country and is looking for more policy changes to ensure gender equality and economic empowerment for overall life improvement for women.
One of Indonesia’s key steps in advancing gender equality, particularly in rural areas, is the collaboration between the government, civil society organizations, academia, the media, and the private sector, with UN Women. Together they have worked to improve women’s access to education, healthcare, and economic opportunities. Indonesia has joined international agreements like the Beijing Platform for Action (BPfA), which guide national efforts to promote gender equality. The Ministry of Women Empowerment and Child Protection (MoWECP) leads the preparation of national reports on gender equality, working with other ministries, and subnational governments like the Ministry of Law and Human Rights (MoLHR), Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA), and the Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) and key stakeholders, like the private sector, business communities, academic institutions, and the media. The results from this have been the development of policies and regulations that have been crucial in advancing the rights of women, particularly in rural areas. The BPfA is further supported by Gender Responsive Planning and Budgeting (PPRG) policies at national and subnational levels that are crucial for ensuring that public services and protections specifically target gender equality. Such affirmative policies focus on and further ensure that women in rural areas have access to necessary accommodations like education and healthcare, addressing the specific barriers they face in remote areas. UN Women also works with all ranges of stakeholders to ensure that these policies are implemented in rural areas. Through these collaborative efforts, Indonesia is working to ensure that gender equality reaches women in rural areas, empowering them to overcome the unique challenges they face.
Indonesia encourages other countries’ ministries and organizations to support women with gender equality and empowerment through supporting policies that are suitable for their economy and with the resources they have available. This can be done by participating in policy-making decisions that help women gain rights to get an education and jobs through organizations such as UN Women where we can see women excelling due to the policies sustaining actions leading to equality and empowerment that are implemented in ways to also reach less developed areas such as rural areas.

Citations
https://asiapacific.unwomen.org/en/countries/indonesia
https://asiapacific.unwomen.org/en/stories/news/2024/04/to-promote-womens-political-representation-in-indonesia
https://data.unwomen.org/country/indonesia
https://asiapacific.unwomen.org/en/stories/feature-story/2024/05/indonesia-rtb-calls-for-investment-in-womens-economic-empowerment
https://www.unwomen.org/sites/default/files/2024-09/b30_report_indonesia_en.pdf

Topic: 2024-Gender Equality in Rural Areas
Country: Ethiopia
Delegate Name: Zaara Syed

Committee: UN Women
Topic: Gender Equality in Rural Areas

The Republic of Ethiopia acknowledges the critical need to advance gender equality in rural areas of Ethiopia, where rural women continue to face significant social, economic, and cultural barriers. Gender equality in these areas is deeply entrenched in traditional norms and practices that limit women’s access to education, healthcare, economic opportunities, and political participation. With our large rural population, Ethiopia is at a crossroads in addressing these discrepancies.
The delegation of Ethiopia is home to a population of over 120 million people, with about 80% of the population residing in rural areas. Rural women, in particular, face profound challenges in access to education, healthcare, economic opportunities, and political participation. Despite ongoing efforts, gender inequality remains rooted in the social and cultural fabric of rural communities. In these areas, women are predominantly involved in agriculture, with around 60% of Ethiopia’s rural women working in farming. According to the World Bank, women in rural Ethiopia account for nearly 80% of agricultural labor, but their contribution is undervalued and their access to land and credit is limited.
Ethiopian society remains committed to improving gender equality, particularly in rural areas, by addressing historical and structural barriers that perpetuate gender-based inequalities. Despite the progress, there is still much to be done to ensure the empowerment of rural women and girls. Education for girls in rural areas continues to be a major hurdle. As reported by UNESCO, rural girls are still 1.5 times more likely to be out of school than their male peers. Gender-based violence continues to be a major issue, with rural areas being particularly affected. 66% of rural women have experienced physical or sexual violence, and harmful traditional practices such as female genital mutilation and early marriage persist in rural communities.
Ethiopia acknowledges the need for continued international support and collaboration to address gender inequality in rural areas. To improve educational access for rural girls, Ethiopia calls for the construction of more schools, particularly in remote regions. Additionally, initiatives to reduce early marriage and promote girls’ education are essential. UNICEF reports that 58% of rural girls are enrolled in school, compared to 82% of urban girls. Increasing scholarships for females, providing school transportation, and promoting community engagement to reduce the cultural barriers to female education can improve school attendance and retention. To empower rural women economically, Ethiopia calls for increased access to credit, land, and agricultural technologies. Strengthening law enforcement, offering better support for survivors of gender-based violence, and raising awareness in rural communities about women’s rights are essential to combatting violence.
Gender equality in rural Ethiopia remains a central challenge in the country’s development agenda. Although Ethiopia has achieved significant strides thanks to international collaboration, national regulations, and government programs, much more has to be done to guarantee rural women’s equality in the economy, healthcare, and education. Ethiopia urges sustained international assistance to tackle these issues, emphasizing the expansion of rural women’s access to economic, medical, and educational possibilities as well as bolstering initiatives to prevent gender-based violence.

Sources
https://www.unicef.org/ethiopia/learning-and-development
https://blogs.worldbank.org/en/nasikiliza/supporting-ethiopian-women-farmers-adapting-changing-climate
https://www.fao.org/economic/social-policies-rural-institutions/en/
https://www.unesco.org/gem-report/en

Topic: 2024-Gender Equality in Rural Areas
Country: United Kingdom
Delegate Name: Audrey Krajewski

Committee: UN Women
Country: The United Kingdom
Topic: Gender Equality in Rural Areas
Delegate Name: Audrey Krajewski, East Grand Rapids

The United Kingdom firmly upholds the principles of gender equality and sustainable development, particularly in rural areas where women face unique barriers to economic participation, leadership, education, and healthcare. The United Kingdom is committed to pioneering an approach to addressing these challenges through innovative policies, international cooperation, and targeted initiatives in line with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The UK recognizes the transformative power of digital connectivity in improving gender equality. By expanding rural internet infrastructure, the UK aims to empower women to access online educational resources, remote job opportunities, and community networks. Additionally, targeted digital literacy training can equip rural women with essential skills for navigating the digital economy. Furthermore, the UK acknowledges that healthcare disparities in rural areas are particularly pronounced for women, especially regarding reproductive health. The United Kingdom supports the usage of telemedicine initiatives, which have proven successful in the UK, and can be scaled internationally to provide remote access to medical advice and essential healthcare services.

The UK desires the implementation of scholarships for secondary and tertiary education tailored to rural women’s needs, such as childcare support and flexible scheduling. Online and evening courses can help women balance their educational pursuits with caregiving duties, ensuring inclusive access to lifelong learning opportunities, as encouraged by SDG 4.3. Additionally, promoting vocational education in agriculture, veterinary science, and rural tourism equips women with marketable skills while addressing labor shortages in these industries. The UK encourages affordable and accessible training programs that challenge gender stereotypes and enhance women’s financial independence.

The UK emphasizes the importance of infrastructure development in reducing the unpaid domestic burden on rural women. Accessible transportation, clean water sources, and renewable energy can significantly improve women’s productivity and quality of life. Initiatives such as solar cookers and water filters, implemented in partnership with the private sector and NGOs like Habitat for Humanity, could prove as effective solutions. Similarly, promoting affordable, resource-efficient tools can alleviate the physical demands of unpaid labor in rural areas, freeing women to pursue educational and economic opportunities. To build upon this, the UK advocates for programs that equip rural women with modern farming techniques, fertilizers, and water-saving technology to enhance productivity and close income gaps. These programs align with SDG 8.5, promoting equal pay for equal work and full participation in the labor force.

The United Kingdom believes in addressing systemic barriers and empowering women through education, healthcare, leadership, and economic opportunities by leveraging partnerships with international NGOs, microfinance institutions, and private sector institutions in order to build resilient, inclusive rural communities where women thrive as leaders, innovators, and contribute to sustainable development. The UK looks forward to working with all members of the United Nations to remain committed to achieving gender equality in rural areas.

Work Cited
https://sdgs.un.org/goals
https://www.habitat.org/volunteer/long-term-opportunities/international
https://planeterra.org/
https://www.kiva.org/

Topic: 2024-Gender Equality in Rural Areas
Country: Kenya
Delegate Name: Andrew Griffin

Position Paper: Kenya
Committee: United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC): UN Women
Country: Kenya
Topic: Gender Equality in Rural Areas

I. Topic Background Kenya suffers from gender inequality. There are still rural areas in which women do not receive the educational, health, or financial opportunities available to them for seeking men, as women are the practical agents of family and community activity, albeit on the micro level. Women are far more likely to go without a voice and without the resources—technology, land, leadership—and resources available to their male counterparts. In addition, culturally mandated practices, in addition to geographically inaccessible entry, ensure women are even further deprived of expected equity and micro efforts when, if given the chance in a more macro sense, would contribute to national equity penetration.
II. Where Kenya stands Kenya understands that gender disparities relative to her rural populations need to be improved to ensure effective sustainable development. For instance, although women are a large percentage of Kenya’s farming labor force, they are not privy to all productive resources (i.e., fertilizer, micro loans, training). Furthermore, rural women do not achieve secondary education graduation rates as their urban counterparts because secondary schools are located farther away, infant marriages, and household responsibilities. Therefore, Kenya intends to tackle this challenge through her national policies and programming.
III. Proposed Actions Kenya’s situation with gender equity is not as far behind as one might think. The constitution provides women with rights to land and property since 2010, and with women’s constitutionally guaranteed equal positions in public policy determining proceedings. The Uwezo Fund grants women low-interest loans for small business endeavors; the government has offered micro-loans and loan forgiveness programs. The rural road infrastructure and telecommunications through mobile banking and mobile phones are intended to facilitate better access to education and health initiatives. But not enough for the most vulnerable. A national awareness campaign is necessary to change fixed attitudes that have existed for centuries.
IV. Solutions Proposed Kenya’s Initiative for Gender Equity Implementation in the Rural Sector Includes—better access to education. Increased access to educational opportunities: Partner with international NGOs to establish more schools in underserved regions. Implement mobile schooling and scholarships for rural girls to minimize distance and monetary issues that cause dropout. Increased access to health care: Fund mobile health units and telehealth initiatives to provide rural women with the reproductive and maternal health care they deserve. Employ and educate health workers to supplement health care availability gaps. Increased access to employment opportunities: Increase access to microloans and training for women in agriculture and entrepreneurship. Offer technology stipends to women to increase efficiencies in agriculture and other fields. Women empowerment via advocacy. Create mentorship and leadership opportunities for rural women to assume greater positions in local governance and policymaking. Work alongside male community leaders to challenge cultural expectations that prevent women from being visible in public. Increased infrastructure. Expedite rural electrical and telecommunication access to ensure that women are better equipped to travel to markets, schools, or hospitals. More efficiently repair or create transportation systems to alleviate the geographical seclusion of the rural environment. Kenya remains committed to collaborating with UN Women and other international partners to ensure that rural women have equal opportunities to thrive, recognizing their vital role in national development.

Works Cited
International Labour Organization. Care Work and Care Jobs for the Future of Decent Work. ILO, 2018.
Oxfam International. Time to Care: Unpaid and Underpaid Care Work and the Global Inequality Crisis. Oxfam, 2020.
United Nations. The World’s Women 2020: Trends and Statistics. United Nations, 2020.
United Nations Inter-Agency Task Force on Rural Women. The Contribution of Rural Women to Development. UN Women, 2018.

Position papers for GLIMUN 2024 will appear above this line, with the newest being at the top.