Award of Excellence for best country-level FAO-IFAD-WFP collaboration

The FAO Director-General Qu Dongyu together with the principals of WFP and IFAD recognised the joint work of the FAO-IFAD-WFP country teams in Guatemala, handing them the Rome-based agencies’ Award of Excellence for best country-level collaboration during 2016-2017.

The award, conferred every two years, celebrates country teams that go above and beyond the call of duty, and harness their collaborative advantage to help countries move closer to achieving the global Zero Hunger goal. 

Over the past five years, the Rome-based agencies have advanced coordination efforts in Guatemala at planning, implementation and monitoring and evaluation levels, as well as fostering evidence-based policy impact in partnership with government institutions and other key stakeholders. 

The agencies' joint work in Guatemala has bettered the lives of food-insecure and drought-stricken rural communities.

It has led to: the country’s adoption of the first national school-feeding law, which links small-scale farmers to schools; stronger family farmers‘ organizations; more resilient drought-stricken communities; the use of new technologies for increased and more sustainable food production; communities that are better equipped to withstand food insecurity; and better access to and control of natural resources and productive assets for women.

The three UN food agencies' collaboration in Guatemala is a flagship example of each agency leveraging their comparative advantage and expertise to deliver better results together, and broker new partnerships and joint programming efforts.

The award was presented during the third informal meeting of the Rome-based agencies' governing bodies.