International Women’s Day: AU-IBAR celebrates strides on women involvement in the animal resources sector

Mon, 08-03-2021 15:00:00

March 8th: International Women’s Day is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women. The day also marks a call to action for accelerating women’s equality.  

AU IBAR joins the global campaign under the theme “Choose to Challenge”. A challenged world is an alert world, and from challenges come change through leadership.

Leadership matters – in building the animal resources sector perhaps more than in many other areas. And Women and men leaders require play equal roles in the animal sector in Africa if many of these challenges are to be conquered. AU-IBAR asked men and women to tell us about their leadership journey – and their views are amazing, insightful and show commitment to building a socially-enabled animal resource sector. These dynamic women and man will share their visions and struggles through quotes taken from the challenges they overcome on a daily basis.

On 8th March, AU-IBAR also participate in a webinar titled: “Celebrating women’s leadership in food systems: a conversation on how to promote women’s leadership in food systems transformation in Africa”.’ The event is jointly hosted by African Women Agribusiness Network (AWAN), African Union, and FAO.

Our social media platforms capture those moments that speak to the IWD theme throughout the month of March.

Why AU IBAR joins the campaign #ChooseToChallenge?

“If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together,” says an African Proverb. As is obvious from the proverb, solidarity and subsidiarity are essential to human dignity, ensuring that people are directly involved in the solutions to their problems, and that these solutions are implemented and controlled at the levels “closest to home”, where they can be influenced or even managed by those most affected.

As AU IBAR celebrates its 70th anniversary this year, we have been reminded that many of our successes in implementing the AU-IBAR mandate has been a result of continual stakeholder engagement to conquer existing challenges in the animal resources sector.

The importance of gender equality in the animal resources sector

International Women’s Day: AU-IBAR celebrates strides on women involvement in the animal resources sectorEqual rights between women and men in the animal resources sector ensures an inclusive and sustainable future. Achieving equality between women and men is a precondition for sustainable production and rural development, achieving food security, and eliminating poverty. Livestock production is an essential part of rural livelihoods for many farmers with women facing several constrains in accessing productive resources and decision-making processes. As these challenges have significant consequences on livestock-keeping households’ the productivity and food security, the ability to identify and address gender issues contributes to the effectiveness of development interventions and their sustainability.

A challenged world is an alert world and from challenges comes change. Individually, we are all responsible for our own thoughts and actions on a daily basis. So, let us all “choose to challenge!” Celebrate women's achievements. Raise awareness against bias. Take action for equality.