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The annual consultation meeting between the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida) and FAO took place on Wednesday, 21 May, at FAO Headquarters in Rome. FAO highlighted the valuable support provided by Sida and other Swedish partners to the FAO Programme of Work, particularly to the core funding, humanitarian programmes, and country-level programmes.  FAO Fisheries and Aquaculture Department presented the results of the Ocean Conference (5-9 June, 2017, New York), and FAO’s role in enhancing SDG 14 (“Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development”). FAO acknowledged and expressed appreciation...

At the annual consultation of the Multipartner Programme Support Mechanism, FAO presented the 2016 achievements of the fund, which delivered significant results towards zero hunger, food and agriculture sustainability, and rural poverty reduction.  As an innovative mechanism for supporting FAO’s work through unearmarked or soft-earmarked contributions, this multipartner fund was generously supported by Belgium, the Flanders Cooperation, The Netherlands, Sweden and Switzerland with some USD 75 million since 2010.  “This fund is a unique instrument that enables FAO to move strategically towards the achievement of the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals”, said Daniel Gustafson, FAO Deputy Director-General for Programmes.  Partners discussed the 2016 results...

Colombia’s Rural Development Agency and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations signed an 8.7 million US dollar agreement to support the country’s agricultural and rural public policy. The Rural Development Agency (RDA) was created in 2015 with the express goal of improving the living conditions of rural inhabitants and supporting the Peace Agreement through large-scale rural initiatives.

In a meeting on Tuesday, Graziano da Silva and Commissioner Sacko underscored conflicts as a common denominator in areas facing food crises in the continent. "Conflict exacerbates hunger and in many cases hunger and food insecurity to intensify strife and social unrest," the FAO Director-General said.

A new regional program will support the most vulnerable communities in the Central American Dry Corridor and the arid zones of the Dominican Republic to face the effects of climate change and increase their resilience. The Central American Bank for Economic Integration (CABEI) provided USD2 million for the program’s formulation under a framework agreement signed yesterday with the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

A consultative meeting between France and FAO took place on Wednesday, 17 May, at FAO Headquarters in Rome. The meeting’s goal was to assess the implementation of the framework agreement for the period of 2012-2017, signed in 2012. Also, technical and transversal aspects were subjects of evaluation.Very fruitful discussions took place with the French delegation which encompassed representatives of the Ministry of Agriculture and Food, the Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs, research institutes and the ‘L’Agence française pour le développement’ (L’AFD). During the different sessions, the various means of the framework’s interventions were covered...

The Annual Consultation with the Norwegian delegation was held on 19 May 2017 at the FAO headquarters in Rome. FAO acknowledged the very generous contribution of USD 45 million to the operation of the new research vessel Dr Fridtjof Nansen. Norway and FAO also discussed the First Meeting of the Parties to the 2009 FAO Port State Measures Agreement (PSMA), and the First Meeting of the Ad Hoc Working Group which will take place in Oslo from 29 May to 2 June 2017, with the participation of the Director-General of FAO. FAO expressed its appreciation to Norway for convening these...

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the World Bank are strengthening their cooperation to end hunger and poverty at global and national levels. The two organizations will work closely together to support the member countries in meeting the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG's), improve rural livelihoods, enhance efficiency of food production and distribution, and ensure sustainable management of natural resources worldwide.

By pooling the ideas and knowledge of technical experts, partners, and concerned national institutions, Kyrgyzstan aims to prepare a high-quality proposal for financing by the Green Climate Fund. A three-day national facilitation workshop on Green Climate Fund readiness and project formulation – hosted and organized by Kyrgyzstan’s State Agency on environmental Protection and Forestry and FAO – opens today at the Park Hotel in Bishkek.

Last November, FAO signed a USD 10.5 million grant agreement with the Gates Foundation aimed at strengthening countries’ capacity to collect agriculture and food security data, and monitor the investment-process-outcome cycle leading to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). For the purpose of promoting agriculture and food security development, the SDGs provide an ambitious and multidimensional plan of action, requiring governments to deliver more effective policies and programmes cutting across sectors and responding to economic, social and environmental challenges.