MINISTRY FOR AGRICULTURE AND LAND AFFAIRS REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA

Transcription

1 TO MINISTRY FOR AGRICULTURE AND LAND AFFAIRS REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA BRIEF HISTORY, OBJECTIVES AND EXPECTED OUTCOMES OF THE 4 TH WORLD CONGRESS OF RURAL WOMEN AS OUTLINED BY THE SOUTH AFRICAN MINISTER FOR AGRICULTURE AND LAND AFFAIRS, MS LULAMA XINGWANA. INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION CENTRE, DURBAN REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA APRIL 2007

2 Programme Director Deputy President of the Republic Premier of KwaZulu-Natal Ministers and Deputy Ministers Members of Parliament Amakhosi Women farmers Women from rural environment and representatives Members of the media Ladies and gentlemen Good morning to everybody and welcome to the city of Ethekwini (Durban) in the Province of KwaZulu-Natal in the Republic of South Africa and greetings to all the people who have come from other countries to attend this 4 th World Congress of Rural Women (WCRW). I must cordially thank you for your presence, especially those people who may have had to overcome a number of difficulties to be able to be at this event. Our celebration of this fourth World Congress reinforces the importance of women in the rural areas, whose important contribution to the development of the societies is not sufficiently recognized yet, as highlighted in the previous three gatherings of the Congress. 2

3 Programme Director, honoured guests allow me to briefly outline the history and objectives of the World Congress of Rural Women. Allow me also to touch on the way forward with regard to expected outcomes or the end results of the Congress. The first Congress was held in Australia in 1994, the second in the United States of America in 1998 and the third in Spain in At the latter, which Ms Graca Machel attended, South Africa was given the honour to host the 4 th Congress. It was at this Congress that Ms Machel received a ceremonial bowl marking acceptance of South Africa to host the event, the first of its kind to be held on the African continent. In all the previous Congresses there has been the participation of a large number of experts qualified in the topics of debate that represented a wide spectrum of our world populations. The WRWC is a non-governmental, cross-sectoral global initiative aimed at discussing issues affecting rural women and develop practical solutions to challenges they face in the 21st Century. It also provides a platform for policy makers, donors, development agencies, non-governmental organizations and government representatives from the world continent and International organisations to discuss, share lessons and experiences on mechanisms to address the plight of rural women. Programme Director, from this morning until the end of the Congress 3

4 delegates will endeavour to highlight the plight of women in rural areas with a focus on continental initiatives aimed at improving their lives. Throughout this- three day long Congress, delegates will be expected to set in motion initiatives that are going to help us mobilise stakeholders to implement our actions in pursuit of 2015 Millennium Development Goals. I also believe that together we are going to highlight progress made in implementing the resolutions of the World Summit on Sustainable Development with particular regard to women development. In this regard five thematic areas flowing from the 3 rd World Congress will be extensively discussed and these include: Globalisation and eradicating poverty; Peace and stability; Governance for sustainable rural development at all levels; Access to, and control of, Resources and Environmental Security; Health and Environmental Security. At the end of this- three day long Congress, delegates will be expected to produce a report which will inter alia include: The Congress statement, recommendations and/or resolutions; Commitments from participating governments to translating into actions recommendations and /or resolutions from the Congress; Record of regional consultations; Record of national consultations; and Record of all the proceedings. 4

5 In conclusion, Programme Director, the people of South Africa would like to thank all our distinguished international guests for having come to take position with the people of our country and the rest of continent of what is, after all, a global problem affecting the lives of our rural communities. With these few words I trust and hope that throughout these three days we shall emerge from this Congress with answers to the hardships confronting our rural communities in order to uplift their lives on the rest of the world. Remember the broader theme for this Congress is United in our diversity: Working together for the total emancipation of rural women from poverty and hunger. I thank you. 5