Voluntary Guidelines on Gender Equality and Women's and Girls' Empowerment in the Context of Food Security and Nutrition

The Voluntary Guidelines on Gender Equality and Women's and Girls' Empowerment in the Context of Food Security and Nutrition (VG GEWE) adopted by the Committee on World Food Security (CFS) provide guidelines to support Member States, development partners and other stakeholders. They aim to advance gender equality, women’s and girls’ rights, empowerment and leadership, as part of their efforts to eradicate hunger¸ food insecurity and all forms of malnutrition, towards the progressive realisation of the right to adequate food in the context of national food security. They are part of a series of voluntary guidelines, negotiated multilaterally, that focus on specific thematic areas associated with food security and nutrition. The EU was a significant player in the negotiations of the VG GEWE The final guidelines are the product of an international collaborative effort to find consensus on common principles shared by governments and many international organisations. The Guidelines are voluntary and non-binding

Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action

The Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, adopted unanimously by 189 countries in 1995, was an agenda for women's empowerment that is now considered the key global policy document on gender equality.  It remains today a comprehensive global policy framework and blueprint for action. The reference document is the  2000 reprint with a political declaration reached at the 23rd special session of the General Assembly in 2000, which reviewed progress towards the Platform for Action five years after its adoption. 2025 will mark the thirtieth anniversary of the Fourth World Conference on Women and adoption of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action (1995).

2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development: Sustainable Development Goal 5 (SDG5)

The United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) launched in 2016 are a ‘call to action to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure that all people enjoy peace and prosperity’. The SDGs combine economic, social and environmental dimensions, with a particular emphasis on social inclusion. The 17 Goals and 160 Targets are to be achieved by 2030. The fifth goal,  SDG5, is dedicated to achieve gender equality and empower women and girls. The aim of the second goal, SDG2, is to end hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture.. 

UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security (WPS Agenda)

The UN Security Council Resolution on Women, Peace and Security (WPS) promotes a gendered perspective and women’s equal and meaningful participation in peace processes, peacebuilding and security. It does not only addresses the disproportionate impacts of war on women but also the pivotal role women should and do play in conflict prevention, conflict management and sustainable peace efforts. The framework consists of four pillars—participation, protection, prevention, and relief and recovery. The EU actively implements the WPS Agenda putting it at the centre of the full spectrum of the EU Common Foreign and Security Policy. It represents an essential tool in ensuring that the rights, agency and protection of women and girls are observed and upheld at all times. It confirms that a meaningful and equal participation of women is secured in all institutions and processes of conflict prevention, peace-making, peacebuilding and post-conflict rehabilitation.

Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW)

The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) adopted in 1979 by the UN General Assembly, is often described as an international bill of rights for women. Consisting of a preamble and 30 articles, it defines what constitutes discrimination against women and sets up an agenda for national action to end such discrimination. The CEDAW Committee is the body of 23 independent experts that monitor implementation of the convention. In countries that have ratified the treaty, CEDAW has proved invaluable in opposing the effects of discrimination, which include violence, poverty, and lack of legal protections, along with the denial of inheritance, property rights, and access to credit.