The summit, convened by the International Fund For Agricultural Development, was the culmination of regional consultations that tapped the expertise of more than 350 participants from 80 countries. Its objective was to alert international public opinion to the rapidly deteriorating situation of rural women world wide, and to the alarming trend of the feminization of global poverty.
Rural women are the world's poor.
Over the last two decades, the number of rural women living below the poverty line has increased by 50 percent. The Geneva declaration for rural women called for a global commitment to recognize and promote the economic empowerment of rural women as a vital force for development and peace. We pledged to work for the summit's goals by mobilizing political will and marshalling resources at the national and international levels to target rural women as participants and direct beneficiaries of development policies and programs, and by advocating for their rights and needs. This continues to be the mission of the 15 first ladies elected in 1992 to form the international steering committee on the economic advancement of rural women. As the President of the I.S.C., and on behalf of our patron H.M. Queen Fabiola, members of the steering committee and our many partners around the world, I thank you for the opportunity to address this important summit.