On 15 October, the Mission of Mongolia to the United Nations organized a panel discussion on the occasion of the 2015 International Day for Rural Women together with together with the Permanent Missions of Canada and Norway and Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO), UN Women, International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the World Food Programme (WFP).

Participants of the panel discussion which was chaired by H.E.Mr.Sukhee SUKHBOLD, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary and Permanent Representative of Mongolia, were seeing the Agenda 2030 as a momentous opportunity for the benefit of rural women.

Speakers representing Member States, UN agencies and civil society organizations, underlined that empowerment of rural women should have a significant impact on implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals, in particular the goal to end poverty in all its forms everywhere, to end hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable argiculture and so to achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls.

While exchanging ideas about possible strategies and measures, participants agreed that more robust gender-responsive approaches and greater investment in rural development and rural women are needed.

The International Day of Rural Women was established by the General Assembly, Resolution 62/136 December 2007 and is now celebrated annually on 15 October.