FAO and regional stakeholders agree on a roadmap to 2030 for the empowerment of rural women in Latin America and the Caribbean

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), together with governments, civil society, the private sector, development banks, academia, international organizations, and — centrally — rural, Indigenous, Afro-descendant, and young women from Latin America and the Caribbean, adopted a regional roadmap to 2030 for the economic, social, and political empowerment of rural women. This collective commitment aims to accelerate gender equality and sustainably transform the region’s agrifood systems.

The endorsement took place during the Regional Forum “Sustainable and Inclusive Agrifood Systems for the Empowerment of Rural Women” held from 8 to 10 October in Panama City to mark the International Day of Rural Women.

Over three days, the forum became a multi-actor and intersectoral space for political dialogue, knowledge exchange, and the formulation of proposals to guide public policies, legislation, and strategic partnerships in the lead-up to the International Year of the Woman Farmer 2026, the 39th FAO Regional Conference for Latin America and the Caribbean (LARC39), COP30 in Belém, Brazil, and the Inter-American Decade for the Rights of Rural Women (2024–2034).

The regional roadmap also recognizes the value of the Tlatelolco Commitment on a Society of Care as an essential framework to promote public policies that ensure shared responsibility in care work and strengthen social protection systems for the benefit of rural communities.

The event featured the participation of Niurka Palacio, Minister for Women of Panama; Miriam Guzmán, Vice Minister for Rural Development of the Dominican Republic; Marco Oviedo, Vice Minister for Rural Development and Innovation of Ecuador; Cecilia Alemany, Deputy Regional Director of UN Women for the Americas and the Caribbean; Luz Haro, Executive Secretary of REDLAC; and Claudia Brito, Policy Officer and Gender Expert at FAO’s Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean, among other key actors from the participating sectors.

The forum’s outcomes reaffirm the leadership of rural women as key agents in transforming agrifood systems, forging resilient futures with Beijing+30, and advancing the creation of a society of care in Latin America and the Caribbean.