The purpose of the side event is to showcase key strategies and innovations that are contributing to gender equality in agriculture and land tenure in the context of the VGGT. It will present how collaboration among different stakeholders at national, regional and global level can support the achievement of SDG targets, and how land monitoring initiatives contribute to tracking progress towards these indicators.

FAO is a custodian agency for the SDGs indicator 5.a.2 on women's land ownership and control, which echoes the principle of gender equality in the Responsible Governance of Tenure of Land, Fisheries and Forests in the Context of National Food Security (VGGT) and was inserted under Goal 5 of the SDGs on gender equality and women's empowerment. Particular focus will be given to the gender equality in tenure governance and how land tenure can be governed that address the different needs and priorities of women and men. Gender equality is one of the ten core principles for implementation of the VGGT and it is closely tied to three others-human dignity, non-discrimination, and equity and justice. The dearth of data on women's land rights makes it difficult to set policies and gauge progress, preventing governments and organizations from taking measurable steps to empower women and improve live, and also to track progress towards implementation of the VGGT. Reliable sex-disaggregated data on land is crucial for highlighting disparities in land rights between women and men. This data improves policy formulation and to monitor progress towards gender equality in agriculture and land tenure.

This Side Event will bring together a range of experts to showcase efforts to ensure that women and men can participate equally in their relationships to land, through both formal institutions and informal arraignments for land administration and management, and to highlight initiatives that are underway to eliminate the gender data gap on land rights. The panel discussion will aim to identify bottlenecks and define a path forward to creating an enabling environment in which women's tenure security is better recognized as playing a major role in the eradication of poverty and the achievement of sustainable development, while demonstrating how data on land and gender can empower women and girls and contribute to increased food security and nutrition.

Time: Tuesday 15 October 8.30-10.00