Policy dialogue: Gendered impacts of COVID-19 and gender-responsive policymaking
![Farmers in their maize plantation](/sites/default/files/styles/h/public/images/33986256608_0d2b8b0668_k.jpg?itok=a6v6WaIj)
The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in the loss of human lives and livelihoods across Africa, presenting unprecedented challenges to all sectors, including public health, agriculture, and industry. The impacts have been felt across rural and urban areas and by men and women from all walks of life. However, there have been important differences in the ways men and women were affected and coped with this crisis.
Governments, development agencies, and civil society organizations now face the challenge of developing and implementing policies and programs that respond to the disparate needs of diverse groups of men and women.
This Policy Dialogue presents recent findings from Ethiopia, Kenya, Niger, Rwanda, Senegal, Uganda, and Zambia on the gendered-differentiated impacts of COVID-19 on men and women in rural areas and the agricultural sector. The virtual event also offers a forum for policymakers to discuss the findings and explore important elements for the design and implementation of gender-responsive policies and programmes that can minimize the economic, food insecurity, and social impacts of the pandemic.
Join the discussion on zoom
Interpretation will be available in English and French.
Agenda
Moderator and Chair: Jemimah Njuki, Director for Africa, IFPRI
Opening Remarks:
- Abebe Haile-Gabriel, Assistant Director General and Regional Representative for Africa, FAO
- Maura Barry, Senior Deputy Assistant Administrator, Bureau for Resilience and Food Security, USAID
- Godfrey Bahiigwa, Director of Agriculture and Rural Development, African Union Commission
Key Findings on the Gendered Impacts of Covid-19 and the Policy Analysis
Moderator and Chair: Susan Kaaria, Senior Gender Officer, Social Policies and Rural Institutions Division, FAO
Presentations:
- Ranjitha Puskur, Evidence Module Lead, CGIAR Gender Platform and Research Leader, Gender and Livelihoods, International Rice Research Institute, “Gender-Responsive Measures in the Agri-Food System to Address COVID-19 Impacts in Ethiopia, Senegal, and Zambia”
- Elizabeth Bryan, Senior Scientist, Environment and Production Technology Division, IFPRI “Gender Differentiated Impacts of Covid-19 in Kenya, Niger, Rwanda, and Uganda”
Panel Discussion on Gender-Responsive Policymaking to Address COVID-19 Impacts
Moderator and Chair: Clara Park, Senior Gender Officer, Regional Office for Africa, FAO
High-Level Panel
- Prof. Hamadi Boga, Principal Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture, Kenya (TBC)
- Mr. Stephen Byantware, Commissioner, Department of Crop Protection, Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry, and Fisheries Uganda
- Ms. Sokhna Mbaye Diop, Technical Advisor for Gender, Ministry of Agriculture, Senegal
- Dr. Geraldine Mukeshimana, Minister, Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Resources, Rwanda (TBC)
- Hon. Reuben Mtolo Phiri, Minister, Ministry of Agriculture, Republic of Zambia
- (TBC)
Closing Remarks
- Benjamin Davis, Director, Inclusive Rural Transformation and Gender Equality Division, FAO
- Nicoline de Haan, Director, CGIAR GENDER Platform
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