Report of the Secretary-General (E/CN.6/2012/3): The empowerment of rural women and their role in poverty and hunger eradication, development and current challenges

The report provides an overview of the situation of women and girls in rural areas, examines the global context and points out how advancing rural women's and girls' empowerment contributes to rural development and food security. It discusses rural women's access to resources (land, finance, extension, information and technology) and markets, employment and decent work, and social protection. It discusses their contribution to unpaid care work, how service provision can reduce the burden of such work, and their role in sustainable development. The report concludes with a set of recommendations for consideration by the Commission on the Status of Women.