FAO, EU to boost food security in Tajikistan
By Aynur Karimova
The UN Food and Agriculture Organization and the European Union have launched a new partnership agreement to boost food and nutrition security, sustainable agriculture and resilience in 35 countries, including Central Asian Tajikistan,UN News Center reported last week.
The new programs were reportedly announced on July 15 at a meeting between Neven Mimica, the EU Commissioner for International Cooperation and Development, and Jose Graziano da Silva, the FAO Director-General, during the 3rd International Conference on Financing for Development, in Ethiopia.
"A new stage of our partnership with the EU will significantly expand the possibilities for cooperation of FAO with governments in developing and implementing effective strategies to combat the root causes of hunger and strengthen resilience to shocks and crises," Jose Graziano da Silva said.
The EU is contributing €50 million and FAO €23.5 million to this initiative, which will be country led and demand driven.
The new initiative consists of two linked five-year programs.
One the programs is the Food and Nutrition Security Impact, Resilience, Sustainability and Transformation (FIRST) facility, which will enhance the capacities of governments and regional administrations to improve food security, nutrition and sustainable agriculture policies and better implement them. This will be done by providing policy assistance and capacity development support.
The second program is the Information for Nutrition Food Security and Resilience for Decision Making (INFORMED) program will contribute to strengthening resilience to withstand food crises as a result of human-induced and natural disasters. Providing regular, timely and evidence-based information to decision-makers is one of the means to achieve this goal.
--
Aynur Karimova is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Aynur_Karimova
Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz