Five demonstration countries meet to coordinate the early phases of their OCOP projects

Rome, 13 April 2023 – The Fourth National Coordination Meeting was held was held to review the progress of the One Country One Priority Product Initiative (OCOP) implementation at the national level. Over 30 important stakeholders participated, including the OCOP Focal Points from the five demonstration countries (Bangladesh, Egypt, Malawi, Trinidad and Tobago and Uzbekistan), the OCOP Regional Focal Points from all FAO regions, representatives from FAO Country Office and governments, as well as lead technical experts on different Special Agricultural Products (SAPs). The Director of FAO Plant Production and Protection Division, Jingyuan Xia, welcomed all participants and restated the objectives of the global OCOP Initiative in the context of its implementation in these five demonstration countries.

Slide from the Malawi OCOP Focal Point’s presentation of their SAP Concept Note for Malawi

OCOP Global Coordinator Hafiz Muminjanov updated on the FMM-funded demonstrations of sustainable development of SAPs in pilot countries, which forms part of the implementation of the five-year OCOP Action Plan. He presented the roadmap for this one-year project and added that a FAO consultant will be hired to support the OCOP Focal Points in all five countries to conduct their value chain assessments and draft their SAP develop strategies. Then, the National OCOP Focal Points from each of the five demonstration countries provided updates regarding their Concept Notes, National Task Forces, and the development of the Three-Year Workplan.

In addition, Hafiz Muminjanov, provided examples and guidance on the draft agendas and potential activities for OCOP regional events launching country projects in the footsteps of the demonstrator countries.

Riccardo Mazzucchelli, FAO Public Information Specialist, presented the OCOP Newsletter and published headline news on the OCOP global website. He also highlighted that the OCOP Communication Toolkit can be used by country project teams to produce suitable communications. He encouraged all colleagues to share news stories on their activities with the OCOP Secretariat and reaffirmed that support is available for all communication-related matters.

In his concluding remarks, Director Jingyuan Xia thanked all participants for their strong commitment and proactive engagement in the meeting. He urged each demonstration country to finalize their National Task Force and encouraged them to produce simplified workplans for the next three years. Demonstrations countries are leading the way in developing SAPs, their workplans will serve as a clear resource that other OCOP project countries can follow to establish their own country projects.