The Policy Dialogue on Women in Agriculture and Fisheries (WiAF) has been described as very positive and successful.
Acting Secretary for the Department of Agriculture and Livestock, Francis Daink, said the presentations on the successes, challenges and opportunities, and experiences indicate that APEC economies must continue to work together to support women in agriculture and fisheries.
“I understand and you will agree with me that the exchanges have been enthusiastic, constructive and informative,” said Mr Daink during his closing remarks on August 5.
Mr Daink, the Chair for the Policy Partnership on Food Security (PPFS), said he believed the WiAF dialogue has set a platform for PPFS and he congratulated PNG for successfully organizing the meeting.
“Agriculture and fisheries, including aquaculture, are vital to all our economies and focussing on better utilisation and empowering the population, group of women and girls will generate benefits in the future.”
“We have heard in today’s dialogue a number of experiences and presentations (successes, challenges and opportunities) from various economies and more so from industrial partners, financiers, and examples from few cooperatives. These are the take away items and lessons for each of our economies to improve on the strategies noting that each economy is different in term of geography, culture, tradition, bureaucracy, strength and advancement in development, etc.”
“I want to thank again the speakers, the moderators and you, the participants, for making the event a success. The speakers have informed, challenged and inspired us with the descriptions of developments and applications.”
DAL’s senior food security officer and key organizer, Regina Nukundj, in her summary report to the PPFS said it delivered on its dual objectives of considering innovative ways to identify and address constraints that impede women in the agricultural and fisheries sectors.
Data shows the pivotal role women can play in the economy if their potential is realised, said Mrs Nukundj.
She said advancing women’s economic empowerment in agriculture and fisheries can fuel dynamic local, regional and global economies.
“Barriers, challenges and limitations can all be addressed and APEC’s continuing focus is crucial to the achievement of food security and economic growth.”
Mrs Nukundj said the dialogue highlighted the value of stronger public private partnerships, the importance of supporting and encouraging women to take on leadership roles and to be active participants in decision making, the benefit from better women-led cooperation and networks in order to allow them to share experiences, build expertise and have a stronger voice and the value of comprehensive data on women’s involvement in value chains to support policy and program design and decision making.
She said the dialogue noted the importance of working with men and bringing family units along the development pathway, the value of information and communication technology and the impact of climate change.
“It provides a solid basis for a continuing journey in APEC on women in agriculture and fisheries.”
