56° Session of the Commission on the Status of Women

Item 3: Follow-up to the Fourth World Conference on Women and to the twenty-third special session of the General Assembly entitled “Women 2000: gender equality, development and peace for the twenty-first century”

Statement by Ambassador Gloria BENDER
International Special Representative on Women issues of the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, International Trade and Worship
of the Argentine Republic
 

"The empowerment of rural women and their function in the eradication of poverty and hunger, in the development and in other current problems"

Madame Chair,

Once more, Argentina has the pleasure to share with you yet another session of this Commission. At this time we will concentrate on reflecting and exchanging our experience on the empowerment of rural women and their function in the eradication of poverty and hunger in the context of development policies.

Argentina is going through a time of great challenges in the long fight of women that is being seen in legislative advances, political commitments and the construction of an integral policy where women have taken increasing protagonism.

These advances have been possible due to the political determination and conviction of President Néstor Kirchner who since 2003 placed the central axis of his presidency on the respect of Human Rights, on social and economic development and equality. Today our President, Cristina Fernandez is impulsing and deepening this model, at the vanguard of the region by widening the rights and public policies with the inclusion of equality.

The country report 2004-2007 was introduced on the occasion of the 46th period of sessions of the Committee of CEDAW on July 13, 2010 in New York. At that meeting Argentina received recognition for the measures, actions and programs that have improved the status of our women in general and in particular the ones where women had the opportunity and right to participate in employment programs, access to micro credit, the Universal Allowance by Child and rights for the masses.

Argentina, since 2003 has experienced a real economic and productive paradigm change that placed us in front of challenges and opportunities for the insertion of our country and region in a globalized world with high needs of food.

Argentina's profile is global agriculture and food power, it is a country blessed with excellent natural conditions (34M/Ha of arable land and 40M/ha apt for agriculture with good temperature, sunshine and water to produce extensively with pasture and industry and fruit/horticulture. The primary sector reached its record in the 2010-2011 with a harvest of more than 100 million tons of grain and oleaginosas and with a cultivated land of more than 35 million hectares reaching thus the standards of quality required by the most demanding markets. (Source: Statistics, Ministry of Agriculture, Cattle and Fishing of Argentina (www.magyp.gov.ar) of the Productive System of Agriculture and Food (INTA 2010-2011)

Argentina through its Ministry of Agriculture destined financing of a total of 5.286 pesos, at subsidized rates for the benefit of small and medium scale producers.
These indicators confirm that the State has assumed an active role and is present through public policies and financing to the service of the agricultural production and has been able to create good expectations, stimulating investment and development in the sector.

In this context rural women have a predominant role in rural development especially in the financing and food security. The level of organization is outstanding that has been achieved by producers and suppliers of food and in several cases they are the pillars of agriculture in small scale. Our challenge is to transversalize the gender perspective and thus reach a greater empowerment and increasing protagonism in the participation and decision making and give access to land and the markets with equal opportunities.

Institutional Sphere. National Development, Policy and Programs

The Strategic, Participative and Federal Food and Industrial Plan (2010-2016) is a public policy that other than emphasizing the added value of primary production, shows the commitment taken for food security and the productive development in such projects as bioenergy, climate change, family agriculture and sustainable rural development, among others.

The strategy is aimed at generating knowledge both at the high school level -with agro technical schools- and at the university level, and to add international actors such as the participation of FAO to address projects that are geared towards the improvement of urban and peri-urban agriculture and the quality of life of family producers with a strong social and territorial inclusion. In this sense the Agreement on Technical Cooperation was signed with the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (CEPAL) to elaborate joint indicators that can add more data to the agro-food and export question and its incidence in Latin America and the world.

In this framework the political will of the Argentine Government coincided with the historic claims, the fight of small and medium producing organizations and native population, especially those that composed the National Forum on Family Agriculture.

The Argentine Government has been at hard work to give better responses to the problems of small scale producers and therefore in 2008 the Department of Rural Development and Family Agriculture was formed within the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Food (SAGPA).

In October, 2009, this institution became the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries (MAGyP) and the Department became the Ministry of Rural Development and Family Agriculture.

From the beginning, the task was a clear social and economic objective: to make visible and promote a sector that thus far had been ignored and that also suffered from lack of advances in the agricultural front in hand of economic groups that had in mind the agro exporting model. The creation of the Ministry of Rural Development and Family Agriculture produced a jump in the institutional quality of the Family Agriculture (AF) that today has an important presence in the functional structure of the Ministry.

Family Agriculture occupies a place of primary importance in food production and guarantees food security of the population. This way it was transformed into one of the essential axes of public policy for this sector. From there, job generation was started in rural communities, the promotion of staying in place at the territories, local supply and regional economies became more dynamic. This is a policy that takes place at the national, provincial and municipal level.

The actions with this sector have grown without interruption, both from the social and from the economic aspect with the support of the Program of Development of Small Agricultural Producers (PROINDER) that finance the small producers that are registered in the National Registry of Family Agriculture (RENAF).

The Ministry of Agriculture gives special support to small and medium size producers, opening the road to fair commerce and food security. The role of the rural woman has notably increased since it has been better organized.

Since 2008, several programs are geared to the necessities of Family Agriculture. The Social Agricultural Program (PSA) has served as a basic structure (for its national reach with technical delegates basically in all provincial territories) for several actions that are taking place.

Social Agricultural Program (PSA)

This program aims at contributing to the improvement of productive activities at the entry level of minifundium producers, generate space for participation that allows the organization of small apiculturists to assume their own representation and develop their management capacities and promote their own participation in policy decision-making, programs and projects at the local, provincial and national level.

PSA manages credits for agriculture workers through two types of financing:
1. Strengthening of self-consumption and;
2. Undertakings of associated production that proposes the stimulation of productive reconversion of the sector through: intensification of production and diversification of the same, both for the farming basket and for zone production, and a change from traditional production to non-traditional production.

Analyzing the information of the period between June 1st, 1993 and March 31, 2006, it can be observed that the participation of women who received credit is of 29.3% of the total beneficiaries of the country. Neuquén is the province that proportionally has the greatest number of women in the country with 46.2%, followed by Misiones, Jujuy and Chubut that have around 38%. On the other extreme is the province of Chaco with only 13% of female participation.

Rural Women Project

Antecedents,
The Country Women and indigenous women project was started in 1989 at the Department of Agricultural Development of the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries of Argentina, as a pioneer program in subjects of development geared towards rural women in the North West and North East provinces of the country. The Ministry not only has an agricultural profile, but a social one as well and so it was first financed by the UN Fund for the Development of Women (UNIFEM) and then by funds of the Ministry. Later the activities have widened to other regions through alliances with state institutions and non-government organizations and could count on other types of financing.

The State, through a policy of Rural Development assumes the integral attention of these groups, in a founding act, recognizing their rights and favoring access to material and human resources of the State.

The work of the Ministry of Family Agriculture consists of: social inclusion, capacity building, promotion and strengthening of organizations and food security.

The area has as general objective the incorporation of the gender perspective in rural development to achieve an improvement in the quality of life of women and a more equal insertion. From this general objective specific ones are deduced, such as: that women should participate in decisions that concern their productive and reproductive situation, achieve better life conditions and a more profound vision of their reality, that they should transform into agents of change of their own situation, of their families and communities through a self-generating process and achieve their own space and own organization, through capacity building activities and regular meetings.

In the framework of the Department of Family Agriculture of the Ministry of Agriculture a gender area was created. Within this area a project of country women and indigenous women takes place that was started in 1989 as a pioneer program in development geared towards rural women that works with country women and indigenous women between the ages of 18 and 60 that mostly finished basic education and have between 6 and 12 children. Since its creation, the education program had already 10.000 women in organization and management - 5000 indigenous women of different ethnicity and 5000 country women and has a publication that is distributed in all of the country, the magazine called "County women" with a circulation of 2000 copies each.

In the framework of the Rural Women project an organization of country women and indigenous women of all of Argentina was formed -MUCAAR- where 2500 women represent 450 base groups - from which 23.000 women benefit with productive projects. Moreover, a national network of technical experts was formed -TRAMA- where 80 technical experts participate with university level education who are mainly agriculture specialists that are part of the Family Agriculture Department. The objective of this national network is the capacity building and support of processes for country women.

National Plan on Food Security

The National Plan on Food Security of 2003 came as a response to the crisis that the country was going through. This plan that is under the umbrella of the Social Development Ministry and tries to articulate, to a certain extent, the assistance practice and self-production of food -in farms and gardens of families or communities- with programs geared towards small producers, for example with the Pro-Garden Program.

The Plan is looking to give food assistance in accordance with the special needs and custom of each region of the country, help self-production of food, take action in the field of food and nutritional education.

Within this place the Pro-Garden project is a highlight, with 20 years of existence that promotes basic services (resource, capacity building) so that families and groups may generate their own fresh food in gardens and farms. Also, it looks for producers to participate in Free Markets, exchange networks and micro enterprises.
Other Programs

The Development Program of Small Agricultural Producers (PROINDER) has to main components:

1. Support of Rural Initiatives and;
2. Institutional Strengthening.

For the first component, the goal is focused on the improvement of the lives of 40.000 poor rural families of Small Minifundium Producers and Transitory Agricultural workers through the financing of agricultural initiatives or connected activities. The strategy combines objective selection criteria for the population prioritizing geographic areas of high indicators of rural poverty as well as trying to guarantee to incorporation and save the role of vulnerable groups of the rural agrarian parts of the country.

The sub-projects that concern rural women were incorporated in mid-2005 and are dedicated to give financing and technical assistance to rural women, for the incorporation of assistant technologies for domestic activities. They are aimed at rural women, irrespectively if they or members of their family had already received previous financing.

Their goal is to improve working conditions of women and achieve better efficiency in the use of natural and energy resources. Donations are destined exclusively to the acquisition of resources, goods and equipment that increase energy efficiency (solar, eolic and thermic) and that mean a saving and help with domestic work of women. This sub-project has finances 269 projects for women in the country until mid 2006.

Program of Rural Development (PRODERNOA and PRODERNEA)

PRODERNEA is an investment program in the rural area whose goal is to contribute to overcome the conditions that generate rural poverty, through the sustainable increase of income and the capacity of self-management of inhabitants and rural and indigenous inhabitants of the Argentine North-East region that have live-stock productions or non live-stock productions. To this end it gives technical and financial assistance, management support of projects and capacity building to increase and diversify the existing explorations, help technological changes and capitalize small production and business units. It takes place in the provinces of Formosa, Corrientes, Chaco and Misiones. Its specific goals are:

• To increase the income stemming from productive activities of men and women and rural men, both in the agriculture and non-agriculture field, through the diversification of production, technological change and the increase of productivity.

• Minimize the economic and social costs that imply productive reconversion that is necessary to adequate the new economic policies and institutional changes of the country. Particularly, the reduction of costs and risks in needed that the small scale agriculture farmer needs to be inserted in the new markets.

• To promote and consolidate small producing organizations to strengthen local institutionality and support sustainability of the associated and self-management experiences in areas such as commercialization, purchase of resources, transparency of technologies, the management of rotating funds.

• To contribute to the long term conservation of nature, starting from the management of renewable natural resources.

• To support the improvement of living conditions and the conservation of cultural values of aboriginal ethnic peoples, and to maintain and reinforce their dominion on land and its resources.

• To strengthen public and private institutions of rural development in the region.

The gender perspective crosses through all levels and action and its objective is to achieve greater equality of opportunities between men and women in the accessibility to services of the Program. Especially, it is geared to promote the active participation of women in the management and projects of the Program, to achieve greater level of participation and self-management of women who benefit from it, enable the management potential and demand of rural inhabitants, install in the public and private sector the gender perspective in support of actions of small scale producers and reinforce the capability of supply of specialized services of the private sector, of the support of solutions for gender problems of families of small scale rural producers.

PRODERNOA has been in place for less than four years in the North-East provinces of Argentina and it is also an investment project in production activities and services that looks to enable available resources of small scale producers and of groups. It also brings technical and financial assistance and management support of capacity building projects. It is destined to the provinces of Catamarca, Jujuy, Salta and Tucumán but currently it is being executed in Catamarca and Tucumán.

Its specific goals are improvements in the productivity of farming, agribusiness and other rural non-agricultural economic activities, diversification of economic activities, strengthening the capacity of self-management and organization of the beneficiaries and drive improvements in business management, business development and market linkages. At the same time seeks to facilitate the consolidation of trust securities, establish sustainable mechanisms for the provision of information, advice and business promotion to beneficiaries, attend focus groups of provinces characterized by strange gaps and strengthen the gender perspective and socio-productive integration of youth through projects activities.

Just as in the case of PRODERNEA, the gender perspective cuts through all levels and action and has the same goals.

In the field of INTA, National Institute of Agricultural Technology that is a pioneer in the design and implementation of research and extension programs aimed at rural development, recently the Institute for Research and Technological Development for Small Family Farms has been created that among its objectives, has the action on gender issues.

Social Development and Health

From the Ministry of Social Development various plans and programs have been promoted with high impact on women, although their primary focus was not on women or rural women, still they are their main beneficiaries. These include: the National Plan and integrated approach of "There, on site", the National Plan for Local Development and Social Economy, "Hands to work", The National Program "National Fund of Microcredit and Social Business, Employment Generation program "Argentina Works", Program of child development centers in rural areas "Harvest Gardens, Cultivating the Future", Pension Plan inclusion, Nations Universal Child Allowance (AUH)

Actions in the field of Health

In 2010 a national hotline was launched that is a free and confidential 800 number on Sexual Health that provides information on sexual and reproductive rights and guides to health services in the whole country. It is proven that the installed free phone lines are used by the population only if they know about their existence. Therefore, the implementation of the telephone service was accompanied by a strategy of visibility of mainly local releases, with the help of a video prepared especially for this purpose and a commitment of the leaders of Provincial Programs of Sexual and Reproductive Health and/or organizations of civil society. The line features a map of specialized services that provide counseling on Sexual and Reproductive Health, the placement of IUD, hospitals that perform vasectomy and ligation, and it is permanently updated, specifying the location, opening hours and professionals in charge of the various centers. We believe that this is another tool that rural women can count on.

Also, the Program has worked in training the promoters with the technical team of the Department of Family Agriculture that works with groups and rural organizations.

The magazine "Peasant: Together for our identity, dignity and autonomy" included a special supplement on sexual and reproductive health which includes information on contraception, emergency hormonal contraception, cervical cancer prevention and where the 800 number on Sexual Health is also published.

In 2010 in the framework of the National Campaign on "Sexual and reproductive rights, Your rights" aimed at promoting the awareness of sexual and reproductive rights and the interest of the people to turn to health services, graphic materials were developed (postal cards, stickers and posters) with the term "Sexual and reproductive rights, Your rights" and radio programs in Spanish and in three of the native indian languages (wichi, kón (toba) and guaraní. We mention these materials since in our country an important part of our native population reside in these rural areas and their economy is the rural type.

Finally, some rural women's organizations participated in the "First National Meeting of Women organized for the sexual and human rights: sexual health and prevention of cervical cancer that emerged from the need for a national study of sexual and reproductive health where voices and experiences of women's organizations are reflected.

Rural women in Argentina: access to rights

When it comes to understanding the situation being experienced by rural women it is necessary to recognize that the asymmetry of power relations between women and men cuts through the whole agrarian structure vertically and that while men and women actively participate in productive activity in rural areas they do not do it from the same position. These gender differences result in significant inequities at the expense of women and affect both their access to and use of resources and goods and result in inequality of opportunity, participation and decision-making

In rural areas the farm worker is still recognized as male and only and technical assistance and credit are provided to men. At the time of assigning credit, technical support or training often women often are not identified as valid interlocutors or as producers even if it is shown that they work in production and make decisions because usually they do within their homes.

This is why public policy puts the emphasis on the need to consider the gender perspective so that field technicians, trainers and rural policy makers act as agents of change and local development projects contemplate the role of women as producers and actors in the production process. This approach will necessarily result in an increased efficiency of such projects.

Unpaid labor of rural women

In the majority of family farms women participate in the activity of renting the farm, make products ready for sale (crafts, cheeses, sweets, bread, etc.) and, when possible, sell their surplus production. When these activities are carried out at home they are not paid, they are considered "assistance."

Their contribution to family income, though not necessarily as agricultural production is significant and their activities ensure food security in poor rural households. However, women have low participation in decision-making of farm resources.

When they are heads of households, in general, this occurs because there is no male in the home due to temporary or permanent migration or death of a spouse, there is a greater economic and social fragility.

The working hours of rural women, considering the productive, reproductive and domestic tasks are between 16-18 hours a day. The amount of time devoted to housework increases in areas where there are problems of access to natural resources because women spend more time collecting firewood and water.

In the above context, women have little appreciation of their work and do not realize the amount of hours they work during the day and how this limits their participation in community and social activities.

The heavy allocation of housework and parenting to women and the low value of their productive work are a major source of inequity in gender relations, as it is one of the most important factors that maintains them isolated from public spheres, where such operating processes take place that contribute to technological, economic, political and social change of a country.

Regarding the situation of women in rural areas it is necessary to analyze its evolution together with the social and political processes, expanding women's rights and gender perspective in the historical and cultural contexts, considering the important work of the various movements of rural women.

The Argentine government continues working to continue to deepen its human rights policy and within the programs and projects that build a political, economic and social inclusion and equality based on opportunity. Undoubtedly, the introduction of the gender perspective is essential in order to remove patterns and stereotypes and promote laws that lead to improving the status and position of women in society.

Legislative Progress for Women in Argentina

Law 26.485: Violence against women
On the legislative front, there has been significant progress that has put the country to the forefront in prevention, protection and response to violence based on gender relations, by sanctioning Law 26,485, Comprehensive Protection Act to Prevent, Sanction and Eradicate Violence against women in areas where their interpersonal relationships take place.

This legislation provides a comprehensive framework for addressing and preventing violence, and incorporates new figures (in addition to physical, psychological, sexual and property violence), such as: domestic, institutional, labor, against reproductive freedom (which violates the right of women to decide freely and responsibly the number of pregnancies or spacing) obstetric violence (exerted on the body and reproductive processes of women, expressed in a dehumanized treatment, an abuse of medicalization and pathologizing of natural processes during pregnancy, childbirth and postpartum), and media violence which is exercised through the media.

Labor Laws
The National Law No. 24,576 amending Title II of the Employment Contracts Act, adding the chapter "Professional Training" that provides career development and training at work in conditions of equality in access and treatment for all and all the workers.

The National Law No. 26,727 "Law of the rural laborer" means a breakthrough and a milestone that ends a rule of military dictatorship and is an absolute change in the system of recruitment of workers, especially those that are temporary and so the most vulnerable of the rural sector. Particularly, it means a starting point in the promotion and recognition of specific rights of women to ensure their participation in the workplace on an equal footing with men. In this context, it should be noted the following issues are covered by the new law:

• Formalization of employment, including temporary, cyclical or seasonal work and the guarantee of minimum conditions as to salary or non-wage labor.

• Enabling child care spaces for children of workers that have not yet reached the school age, regardless of the type of contract.

• Equal access to training and / or certification of labor competencies.

• Right to retirement at age 57 for men and women, as long as they credited contributions and 25 years of service.
•
Licensing in general: is governed by law 20,744, a law of contract and its amendments. As far as special vacation time, it should highlighted that there is progress in the recognition by parenthood. In the first case, it is extended to temporary workers, meaning an improvement in their rights and equality with other workers. This means job security during the gestation period and the expiration of the regular vacation time and access to payments that are allocated by the social security systems.

National Law on Audiovisual Communication Services
Deepening the commitment towards the eradication of gender stereotypes it has to be highlighted that Law 26,522 of Audiovisual Communication Services, as enacted, among many advances that explicitly aim to promote balanced and diverse images of men and women in the media and and consider the cultural, linguistic and ethnic diversity of our country.

Law and Educations Programs
Technical Education Act No. 26,058 on technical education reconfigures technical training across the country. In Article 40 specific measures are mentioned whose implementation will ensure that the young men and women get access to technical and agricultural training and remain there even when they get into social risk situations or when they have trouble getting an apprenticeship.

It also states that measures will be taken to incorporate women into technical education. According to the Census of Technical Schools of the 230 thousand students, 37% are women. This enrollment had not historically exceeded 11% of women in these schools.

The program "A computer for each student" of 2010 provides for the distribution of 250,000 netbooks in a total of 1,200 public technical schools (industrial and agricultural). The beneficiaries of this initiative are 20 000 teachers in the last cycle of technical schools.

The National Telecommunications Plan "Argentina Connected" in the framework of the Satellite Connectivity, reached the installation of Digital - Satellite TV in rural primary schools in more than 9,600 schools across the country. For 2012 this number is expected to reach 11,500 rural schools. This had a major impact on students in rural schools.

Social movements and Women's Networking

Most non-governmental organizations dedicated to these issues have been incorporating the gender perspective in a progressive manner in their institutional programs. These institutions receive funding from national government programs as well as international organizations and each has a different strategy for incorporating women or gender in its activities

Of the oldest such institutions the Rural Development Center (CEPRU) is the one to be highlighted. The main themes of its work can be summarized in: female-gender-development, understanding the latter at different levels: personal, family, work, social. The strategy of this institution to work with women is to reflect on their role in the community and identify situations of discrimination and promote empowerment.

Other than the institutional structures and as part of a growing movement there are different forms of association and action of diverse groups that grow in the pursuit of claims for the right to land, water or production, with active female participation.

The MML - Movement of Agricultural Women in Struggle - came as a response to the debt crisis in the sector, but over time grew into a strong critical voice to the model as a whole. This break enabled them to analyze and deconstruct their own debts, raise the irrationalities of the amounts that were accumulated, and generate a new discourse that puts into question the legitimacy of indebtedness and the general economic model. Also, the MML appears as a clear representative of the "new agrarian social protest", and that because it can add to their economic demands others that realize the problems of society at the end of the century. In this case, the type of actor-a women's organization of peasants-conditions these other demands that are able to express and symbolize in the building of the movement. The gender issue was binding, but also there are some issues about the choice of a lifestyle that is very typical of our globalized world.

There are some organizations of rural women in the second degree, bringing together delegates from grassroots organizations and there are also mixed ones that have their own specific space for women or different systems to ensure the representativeness of the same.

At the same time MUCAAR (Rural and Aboriginal Women of Argentina) and PLOT, mentioned earlier in this Report have to be highlighted.

There are two systematized experiences by Rural and Aboriginal Women (MUCAAR) that are coordinated by the Rural Women Project of the Secretary of Agriculture with assistance from the Group Choriavi, an institution that supports social learning processes. One of the first experiences in Salta is the production and marketing of wines and craft in Misiones at fairs and trade missions of the herb, yerba mate. These experiences entrench the economic role of women and the systematization of these experiences that was made jointly with the Faculty of Agronomy of the University of Buenos Aires. In the case of Salta, marketing was generated through a networking of Farmer Tourism that offered tasting and accommodation. INTA offered improving wine quality, technological support and training. Twelve diaguitas-calchaquí communities participated who managed to obtain recognition of quality handcrafted wine through the National Wine Institute .

Meanwhile, the women of Misiones created the Cooperative Rio Paraná for the production and marketing of yerba mate in fair trade networks and sale of tax-exempt products. Experience with direct participation of women generated a favorable impact in sustaining food security policies. Also, farmers have managed, through business opportunities, inclusion in social security and health.

Equally important is the experience provided by the Red Puna. It is a social organization that brings together 30 rural and indigenous communities of Puna and Quebrada and is part of the National Peasant and Indigenous Movement. The Network has the support of international cooperation in particular to address gender issues.

In 2002 the Network Puna had an area whose function was to transport gender mainstreaming into the micro regional perspective. Training was conducted at the beginning pertaining to issues related to sexual and reproductive health of women. These contents did not cause conflict between rural women or men technicians. It is only when dealing with issues of domestic violence that cultural gender resistance makes conflict both with farmers and with the technicians.

Actions of the National Council of Women

Below are some of the activities of the National Council of Women, a mechanism for the advancement of women in our country regarding rural women:
•
During the years 2009 and 2010, the Council had an institutional presence in several meetings organized by rural women's groups and government agencies working in the area.
•
In 2010 the Council funded and sponsored the publication of the magazine "Peasant. Journal of peasant and indigenous women in Argentina ", published by the Secretariat for Family Agriculture (Ministry of Rural Development and Family Agriculture MAGyP). The articulation with the area of Gender and Youth, Family Agriculture Secretariat.
•
In 2009 an agreement of co-production was signed with producer Compass to perform a program entitled "It is said of me" made up of thirteen thematic chapters. The same was issued during 2010 and 2011 by Channel Meeting. The National Council of Women was responsible for suggesting the topic of each chapter, one specifically addressing the situation of rural women "PEASANT". For this project it counted on the support of the Secretariat for Family Agriculture.
•
Projects were funded on Institutional Strengthening and Organization of Civil Society (CSOs) working with rural communities in different provinces.

On behalf of Argentina we hope that the days ahead of us will really be highly productive and allow us to celebrate the achievements that we reached and take note of the challenges that still face rural women in our countries on which reflection is needed. We trust that the work of this Commission will constitute an invaluable guide for future actions and strategies we undertake nationwide.

Thank you very much.

Misión Permanente Argentina ante Las Naciones Unidas

56 CSW, New York, 29 de February de 2012