Indian Ocean Commission to build a strategic partnership with FAO for the Indian Ocean Programme on Food Security and Nutrition (PRESAN)

Rome, November 05^th, 2018: The Indian Ocean Commission (IOC) Secretary General, Mr Madi Hamada, and the IOC Director Mr François Vuillemin meet with Senior Managers of FAO, as part of the resource mobilization round-trip to Rome and Brussels for the “Indian Ocean Regional Programme on Food Security and Nutrition” (PRESAN).

In August 2014, the 4th Summit of IOC Heads of State and Government held in Comoros, put in emphasis on food security, as a political priority for the region. To concretize this decision, the PRESAN was formulated, in 2016, with FAO technical and financial support, and the implementation started in 2017 with an FAO Regional Technical Cooperation Programme and an IFAD Grant.

Strategically, the PRESAN aims to promote the development of agricultural and food value chains of regional interest through the strengthening of competitiveness, the revitalization of intra-regional trade, and the improvement of the populations’ food and nutritional resilience. The results of ongoing studies will determine, from the beginning of the year 2019, approaches to projects’ formulation, investments, resources and expertise required.

An MoU concerning cooperation between FAO and IOC in support to PRESAN

A signing ceremony is organized today 11:15-11:45 at FAO Headquarters, Rome.

This convention provides a framework for strategic collaboration and implementation of joint activities (outreach and communications, information sharing, resources mobilization, technical supports, etc.) to improve food and nutrition security in Indian Ocean Regional level.

PRESAN is a framework promoted by the IOC to improve the food security and nutrition of populations in its Member States. Within this framework, facilities of a technical, regulatory and/or financial nature will be set up to support the private sector, and to develop the priority value chains of regional interest. Setting up these facilities need resources mobilization, and the contribution of all stakeholders, donors, particularly those involved in IOC’ Member States, namely Comoros, Madagascar, Mauritius, Reunion (overseas region of France) and Seychelles.

Mr. Madi Hamada reminded that “the IOC Donors’ Conference on Food Security, held in Madagascar in February 2015, concluded that the existing donors’ allocations to food security in our region are not efficiently coordinated. The duplication of efforts should be progressively undermined. FAO provides us with the technical support needed to respond to the urgent needs of the region, in particular the reduction of the deficit of its agricultural trade balance; as well as the specific needs of Madagascar which has a natural vocation to become the Breadbasket of the Indian Ocean".

FAO will support IOC for joint resource mobilization activities, and technical support in coordinated programs and projects to further the common goals and objectives of food and nutrition security in Small Islands Developing States (SIDS), to meet 2030 Agenda and SDGs.