The United Nations (UN) to show their sisu* marked today, 16 October, as the "World Food Day" while yesterday, 15 October 2008, as the first-ever "International Day of Rural Women."



UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has issued a call for greater appreciation of rural women's role in providing food and incalculable support they give to their communities.(1) Some 428 million women (and 608 million men) work in the agricultural sector in the world. We must remember them in our 'green' future considerations.



The Secretary-General urged countries to prioritize rural women’s needs at the upcoming "International Conference on Financing for Development" -- to review the implementation of the 2002 Monterrey Consensus -- to be held in Doha, Qatar, from 29 November to 2 December 2008.(2)



I am brief here in remembrance of the world's poor in struggle with the high food and fuel prices and the credit crunch. My references could give you an introduction into these activities.



* Finnish word for 'guts' or stubborn determination.



(1) http://panafricannews.blogspot.com/2008/10/united-nations-marks-first-ev...

(2) http://www.un.org/esa/ffd/doha/index.htm