The Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) will address the issues of gender equality, empowerment of women, and development cooperation at its High-level Segment, to be held from 28 June – 2 July 2010 in New York.

In preparation for these discussions, the Council will organize two preparatory meetings on 22 April 2010.  The first session will address the topic of “Who Feeds the World in 2010 and Beyond: Rural women as Agents of Change and Champions of Global Food Security.” The meeting is  organized by the UN Department for Economic and Social Affairs (UN-DESA), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), the World Food Programme (WFP), the World Bank, and UNIFEM, in collaboration with, Women Organizing for Change in Agriculture and Natural Resource Management (WOCAN), and The Hunger Project,.  The event will take place from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m on 22 April.

The Global Preparatory Meeting will focus on the role of rural women in achieving the Internationally Agreed Development Goals (IADGs), in particular the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).  It seeks to strengthen the dialogue among Member States and UN system organizations on concrete actions needed to support rural   women’s contribution to reducing poverty, improving food security and the right to food, and promoting economic and social development. Insights and conclusions from this discussion can help to guide the international community in accelerating implementation of existing policy commitments

The second meeting, which will take place on 22 April, from 3 to 6 p.m., will serve as a preparatory event for theDevelopment Cooperation Forum (DCF).  The meeting will explore the role of aid in mitigating the impact of the financial and economic crisis on achieving national development goals and the MDGs.  It will initiate a multi-stakeholder dialogue on questions such as decisions on aid allocations in the context of multiple crises, the possible cost of marginalizing “aid orphans” in favor of “aid darlings”, and the need for a renewed firm commitment by donors to restore stability and prosperity in the global economy. Key policy messages and good practices emanating from this discussion will serve to inform the consultative process and analytical preparations for the 2010 DCF and beyond.