Strengthening women’s empowerment in Hand-in-Hand supported investments
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30.08.2024
To enhance women’s empowerment within the Hand-in-Hand (HIH) Initiative, the Gender Team from the Rural Transformation and Gender Equality Division (ESP) delivered targeted training sessions to FAO staff – specifically HIH focal points across headquarters, regional, and subregional offices.
Between May and July 2025, three tailored training sessions were conducted, reaching nearly 60 participants from all FAO regions. These sessions focused on building technical capacity to identify and address barriers faced by rural women and ensure that women's empowerment is meaningfully embedded in HIH-supported investment planning and implementation.
The first session – a hybrid training in English – took place on 20 May 2025, engaging HIH focal points at headquarters, regional, and subregional levels. Participants included staff from the Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific (RAP), Africa (RAF), Europe and Central Asia (REU), and the Near East and North Africa (RNE). A total of 16 participants attended.
A second session, held virtually in Spanish on the same day, gathered 22 participants from the Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean.
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Participants during the session held for the the FAO Subregional Office for the Caribbean
A third session, delivered virtually in English on 16 July 2025, engaged 20 participants from the FAO Subregional Office for the Caribbean. This session focused on:
- Deepening understanding of women’s roles and challenges in agrifood systems
- Highlighting the importance of sex-disaggregated data and indicators that capture women-specific outcomes
- Clarifying how strengthening women's leadership supports HIH’s inclusive development goals
- Strengthening capacity to evaluate investment proposals based on their impact on rural women’s voice and decision-making power
- Supporting alignment with national strategies for promoting women's agency.
Participants also engaged in practical exercises, including the design of investment plans that prioritize women’s rights and participation. The session featured an overview of FAO’s gender equality framework, a step-by-step guide to integrating women’s empowerment throughout the HIH process, and a collaborative discussion on lessons learned and next steps.
Closing gaps to empower women
This training series directly responds to key gaps identified in a review of national investment plans presented at the 2023 HIH Initiative Investment Forum. Challenges included the limited availability of sex-disaggregated data, weak alignment with national women’s empowerment goals, and the lack of investment objectives that directly benefit women. Addressing these challenges is essential to ensuring transformative, inclusive investments that leave no woman behind.
Looking ahead
Championing women’s inclusion is central to achieving sustainable agrifood systems transformation. Women play vital roles in food production, marketing, and rural economies, yet they continue to face significant barriers in access to land, finance, services, and leadership opportunities.
By equipping FAO staff with practical tools and strategic insight, these trainings reaffirm FAO’s commitment to ensuring that HIH-supported investments deliver real and measurable empowerment outcomes for women – unlocking their full potential in driving resilient, equitable, and sustainable food systems.