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On International Rural Women’s Day, The Pacific Community's Pacific (SPC) Organic and Ethical Trade Community (POETCom) programme has released a pledge to affirm its commitment to pursue gender equality in the organic movement.
While celebrating the crucial role and contribution of rural women, including indigenous women, in enhancing agricultural and rural development, POETCom calls on farmers and organic actors to take the pledge to pursue gender equality in organic movement across the Pacific region.
POETCom is the peak body for the organic movement in the Pacific region. It’s a not-for-profit organisation with active members (farmers associations, farmer support organisations, NGOs, private sector, research institutions) working with governments across the Pacific region.
Over the years, it has actively and strategically included a gender perspective across all aspects of its work, ensuring that considerations of gender equity and inclusivity permeate every aspect of the organisation. The Building Prosperity for Women Producers, Processors, and Women-Owned Businesses through Organic Value Chains (BPWP) project – funded by the Australian Government and started in 2019, has strengthened POETCom’s efforts to advance its gender equity agenda. The project has indeed enabled POETCom to implement targeted initiatives and interventions that promote gender equity, inclusivity, and empowerment within its organisational activities and the broader organic movement.
POETCom’s commitment to mainstreaming gender has become evident with the development of resource materials, such as the Gender and Organic Value Chain Analysis Toolkit, that will assist organic agriculture stakeholders in understanding how organic value chains work differently for women and men and how they can be improved by integrating gender considerations in value chain approaches.
The POETCom Pledge towards Gender Equality is featured in this video, where Members from across the Pacific unify their voices to promote and advance gender equity and women’s empowerment agenda within the organic movement.
As well demonstrated and stated by the Pledge, POETCom and its members are relentlessly working to be role models and stimulate positive change for our communities to create a stronger, inclusive, resilient, and resourceful Pacific organic movement.
The POETCom Gender Equality Pledge has been released with support from the Australian Government through the BPWP Project implemented by POETCom at SPC.
For the full text of Gender Pledge:
The Pacific Organic and Ethical Trade Community pledges to achieve gender equality in the organic movement. POETCom believes that everyone is born free and equal, with the right to access equitable opportunities.
POETCom believes that each contribution to organics is valuable, and all should benefit from the traditional knowledge and innovation that organics uphold. POETCom believes that gender equity is the cornerstone of the organic principles of health, ecology, fairness and care, culture and tradition.
POETCom commits to actively implement initiatives that drive gender equity, equality, and wider social inclusion.
We pledge to support initiatives that empower women and other underserved stakeholders. POETCom pledges to take action against persistent gender inequalities, bias and discrimination, with specific attention to Indigenous women, women with disabilities and gender minorities. We pledge to forgo harmful beliefs and behaviours and engage in conversations and activities that foster an inclusive and safe environment.
POETCom commits to being a role model and stimulating positive change for our communities to create a stronger, inclusive, resilient, and resourceful Pacific organic movement.
Watch the pledge video:
