WOMEN IN COFFEE – BOOK LAUNCH

Last week, I was pleased to take part in an event, held on the margins of the Sixty-third session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW 63), marking the launch of the Women in Coffee in Brazil book, which highlights the importance of promoting women’s empowerment in the coffee sector. The book is a joint initiative of International Women Alliance of Coffee (IWCA), Embrapa – the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation and the Brazilian Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Food Supply. UN Women was responsible for sponsoring the version in English.

The book (which can be downloaded at https://www.embrapa.br/busca-de-publicacoes/-/publicacao/1098991/women-in-coffee-in-brazil ) shows the important role women play in the Brazilian coffee sector. It is a collaborative effort of many people and institutions: a multidisciplinary network of women artists, film-makers, photographers, researchers, agronomists, social scientists, domestic economists, biologists, historians, statisticians, geographers, political scientists and journalists.

The photo shows me with Josiane Cotrim Macieira and Raquel Menezes, two of the lead authors of the book.

While in New York, I took the opportunity to deepen discussions on a Memorandum of Understanding between UN Women and the ICO, which we hope to sign in the near future.

All those involved in the preparation of this book and the event should be congratulated for calling attention to this important subject. The ICO will continue to emphasize the empowerment of women in its future work.