Hand-in-Hand Investment Forum High Level Event: Central American Dry Corridor Regional Initiative Opening Remarks
by Dr QU Dongyu, FAO Director-General
18/10/2022
Hand-in-Hand Investment Forum
High Level Event: Central American Dry Corridor Regional Initiative
Opening Remarks
By
Dr QU Dongyu, FAO Director-General
18 October 2022
Excellences,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Good afternoon, good evening, and good morning.
1. The Central American Dry Corridor is a stretch of territory characterized by the “dry forest,” which extends between Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala.
2. There are more than 10 million people living in the area, most of whom are engaged in agricultural activities.
3. The area is highly vulnerable to extreme climate events, with prolonged periods of drought and shorter periods of heavy rains, mostly related to the El Niño and La Niña phenomena,
4. The recent intensity of the tropical storm in Honduras is a reflection of this.
5. And for this reason I, together with the FAO core leadership, are paying particular attention to this region.
6. All these vulnerabilities strongly affect the livelihoods, and food and nutrition security of local populations,
7. Where more than half of the inhabitants are small-scale farmers.
8. In the last decade, the impacts of the climate crisis have led to an increase in the frequency and intensity of these phenomena.
9. The resulting production losses have led to hunger, poverty, insecurity and growing inequalities,
10. Causing many farmers to abandon their tools, their animals and their land, and forcing an increasing number of people to migrate.
11. We need to create hope for those people who wish to stay and not move away from their home.
12. Today, more than 73% of the rural population of the Central American Dry Corridor lives in poverty, and about 6 million people are undernourished.
13. 7.1 million are severely food insecure, and 1.3 million children under the age of 5 are stunted.
Dear Colleagues,
14. We must turn this emergency into a corridor of opportunities!
15. The Hand-in-Hand initiative supports the process, together with key regional partners.
16. Hand-in-Hand joint efforts support the implementation of nationally and regionally led ambitious programmes, to accelerate agrifood systems transformations by eradicating poverty (SDG1), ending hunger and malnutrition (SDG2), and reducing inequalities (SDG10), and others.
17. It uses advanced geospatial modeling and analytics, as well as a robust partnership-building approach to accelerate the market-based transformation of agrifood systems,
18. To raise incomes, improve the nutritional status and well-being of poor and vulnerable populations, and strengthen adaptation and resilience to climate change.
19. It is an ambitious programme which requires your collaboration and additional funding.
20. 4 countries contributed to the investment plans that will be presented today, and which will enable the region to tackle the challenges it faces.
21. I am confident that this Forum will initiate a fruitful dialogue,
22. And serve as a platform for stakeholders to come together to interact and explore possibilities offered to the countries under the Hand-in-Hand umbrella.
23. Thank you.