FAO Chief Economist presents the Hand-in-Hand Initiative to OACPS Members in Brussels
FAO Chief Economist Máximo Torero presented the Hand-in-Hand Initiative to the Member States of the Organisation of Africa, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS).
This country-owned and led initiative, seeks to accelerate agricultural transformation to eradicate poverty, end hunger and malnutrition, and reduce inequalities.
Currently, it assists 61 countries (with 39 of them being OACPS Member States) in identifying territories with the greatest potential for unlocking market-oriented opportunities to transform agrifood systems and contribute towards the Sustainable Development Goals.
During the presentation, Torero explained the three data pillars of the Initiative:
The Geospatial Platform, which provides a wealth of integrated agricultural information and advanced tools to efficiently identify, target, monitor and evaluate tailored agriculture interventions for impact;
The FAO DATA laboratory, which leverages non-conventional data sources and uses data science and artificial intelligence to fill data gaps, and;
The Hand-in-Hand Dashboard, which enables users to understand and use data visualization for their development activities and decision-making processes.
The FAO Chief Economist also announced the second edition of the Hand-in-Hand Investment Forum to be held from 16 to 19 October in Rome. The forum will seek increased private investment to eradicate poverty and hunger through the Initiative.
The meeting’s chair, Professor Bitange Ndemo, Ambassador of Kenya to the Kingdom of Belgium, highlighted the close synergies between the Hand in Hand Initiative and OACPS’ priorities to accelerate food systems transformation, improve food security, and strengthen resilience to climate change. He encouraged close cooperation and collaboration between FAO and the Secretariat to identify opportunities and areas of support for Members and Regions of the OACPS.
The meeting was attended by Ambassadors and delegates from 15 OACPS Member States.