FAO Director-General in talks with ActionAid International Executive Director Adriano Campolina
FAO and ActionAid International explore cooperation on family farming and sustainable agriculture
June 12, 2014, Rome – FAO Director-General José Graziano da Silva, today metActionAid International Chief Executive Director, Adriano Campolina, to discuss potential areas of cooperation, including the promotion of family farming and the development of sustainable agriculture.
Campolina welcomed what he described as the FAO Director-General’s innovative approach of opening to non-governmental actors and welcomedFAO’s Strategy for Partnerships with Civil Society Organizations. “We do not conceive food security without progress in strengthening civil society,” Campolina said, speaking after his meeting with Graziano da Silva..
“For us, the opening of the Director General towards cooperation with civil society is essential,” the ActionAid Executive Director said. “Cooperation that is restricted to governments is very important because they are the fundamental actors when building rights, however it is not enough because only a strong and mobilized civil society will be able to get adequate policies,” he added.
ActionAid is an International organization that collaborates with more than 15 million people in 45 countries for a world free of hunger and injustice.
Campolina, said his discussions with Graziano da Silva, which were held at FAO’s headquarters in Rome, represent great progress in achieving the common objectives of both organizations. “Particularly in joint work in African countries and the creation of spaces for South-South Cooperation in order to exchange experiences on issues that contribute to growth such as access to land, biodiversity and the strengthening of family farming,” he added.
The head of ActionAid also expressed his hope for a deepening of cooperation with FAO, both in the area of harmonization and positioning with respect to public policy and food safety regulations and technical cooperation areas. He also highlighted the importance of supporting the “fundamental role” that women play in agricultural development. “
“We are committed to advance in order to ensure that farmer and fishermen organizations can strengthen their political capabilities to help governments meet their obligations,” Campolina said.
Referring to the Second International Conference on Nutrition (ICN2) which will take place next November in Rome, Campolina described FAO as the “space in which the debate on nutrition should take place”.
“Nutrition cannot be seen as isolated but instead it has to be seen within the general context of food security”, the ActionAid Executive Director said. He agreed with Graziano da Silva that “nutrition is intrinsically linked to the structural causes of hunger and related to water access issues and public policies”.
