Message from Dr. Cherdsak Virapat, Director General,
Centre on Integrated Rural Development for Asia and the Pacific
(CIRDAP) on the International Day of Rural Women
Sunday 15 October 2023, 11.00 hrs.

Today, we celebrate the International Day of Rural Women at the Centre on Integrated Rural Development for Asia and the Pacific (CIRDAP). The day of 15 October was established at the United Nations General Assembly of 18 December 2007, recognizes the critical role and contribution of rural women in enhancing agricultural and rural development, improving food security and eradicating rural poverty. The theme for the International Day of Rural women in 2023 is “Rural Women Cultivating Good Food for All.”

The rural women and girls play an important role in their family. They mainly engage in rural household works and agricultural farming, fish culture and fisheries, poultry and cattle rearing works so that their family life can improve. They are doing these works every day though their contribution is not values in monetary terms; and often their hard works are not noticed in the family and society. They also play an important role in domestic work within their families, as well as households in rural areas. Although they are working in various agricultural activities like male, they are not able to access agricultural inputs, markets, land, agri-food chains of high-values credit and get lower prices for their crops.

Education is often referred to as the great equalizer. It can help rural women to learn about how to reduce poverty, increase better crop and agricultural production and helps women for their better livelihoods. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), says leaving no one behind. To reach the SDGs, rural women should be empowered so that, they can also improve their living condition and wellbeing 3 . On behalf of CIRDAP, I call for global attention on gender equality commitments and contribution of rural women to development. CIRDAP is proud to organize a webinar on this day on the topic of “Rural Women’s Organization for Development: A case of BARD Experiment” to celebrating the International Day of Rural Women and looks forward to promoting its gender on rural development programme in the years to come.

Thank you.