Outgoing UN Secretary General (UNSG) Ban Ki-moon has called on the world to provide the support and information needed by rural women so that they can fulfill their potential without leaving their communities.

Ban said this must be done in order to deliver on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development as it promises to leave no one behind, according to a statement issued here by the UN office.

“Rural women make up nearly half the agricultural labor force around the world, they grow, process and prepare much of our food, they are the backbone of rural communities,” Ban observed Thursday in his official message to the world ahead of the commemoration of International Day of Rural Women.

International Day of Rural Women is observed on October 15 every year to celebrate and honor the role of rural women in society. It recognizes rural women’s importance in enhancing agricultural and rural development worldwide.

Ban also observed that in many households women have the key responsibility for food security, education opportunities and healthcare, but the effects of climate change and environmental degradation are forcing many rural women to migrate, increasing instability for their families and communities.

The UNSG said natural disasters, together with recurrent slow-onset crises like drought, affect rural women disproportionately, adding to the challenges they already face in accessing food, healthcare, education and information.

Ban said simple changes in policy such as regulating remittances and reducing transaction costs can empower rural women economically and help them to cope with the effects of the changing climate.

He emphasized that training and access to information on climate-resilient agriculture and technology can make a critical difference in the lives of rural women.

“As we consider how we can better respond to the movements of refugees and migrants, I call upon everyone to take the special needs and concerns of rural women into account,” Ban noted.