International Conference Highlights the Economic Integration of Rural Women
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Migration, and Tunisians Abroad, in collaboration with the Ministry of Family, Women, Children, and the Elderly, and with the support of UN Women Tunisia, organized an international conference at the International Diplomatic Academy in Tunis under the theme "Economic Integration of Rural Women: Marketing, Challenges, and Opportunities". This event brought together representatives from concerned ministries, UN agencies, and economic and social experts, highlighting the essential role of rural women in economic development and poverty reduction.
The discussions emphasized the need to implement effective strategies to strengthen their access to resources, markets, and digital tools. Minister Asma Jebri announced the launch of a digital platform, an e-shop, to promote and market products from rural women entrepreneurs, building on the ministry's programs such as "Raidet", which has already supported over 5,800 women entrepreneurs, and "Samida", which accompanies women victims of violence through training and project financing.
The conference also highlighted legislative reforms aimed at supporting the economic empowerment of rural women and improving their social protection. These reforms include Decree No. 15 of 2022 on social and solidarity economy, which encourages female entrepreneurship, and Decree No. 4 of 2024 on social protection for agricultural workers. The latter aims to ensure broader access to social coverage for this often-marginalized category.
In parallel, participants emphasized the numerous challenges hindering the economic integration of rural women, including high marketing costs, limited mastery of digital tools, and difficulty accessing local and international e-commerce platforms, which limits their visibility and growth opportunities.
To address these obstacles, the conference resulted in several concrete recommendations, including the launch of a national plan to facilitate rural women's access to markets and the establishment of a specialized digital platform to promote their products on local and international markets. The discussions highlighted the importance of digital marketing as a key lever to enhance the competitiveness of rural women entrepreneurs and emphasized the need to provide them with adapted training to exploit online business opportunities. These measures are part of a broader approach to ensure sustainable and effective economic inclusion of rural women, reinforcing their financial autonomy and contribution to local development.
