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Improving the gender-responsiveness of design and delivery of rural finance interventions through innovative approaches and mechanisms is important for promoting rural women’s economic empowerment. This document highlights practical and actionable approaches from the sector in order to guide the work of practitioners engaging at country level to pursue the above objective. Part I of this Technical Guidance Note provides an overview of the main barriers and constraints that inhibit rural women’s financial inclusion. Part II offers a step-by-step approach to analysing the state of gender equality within a specific country or context, with the purpose of diagnosing potential entry points [...]

This policy brief provides a summary of water governance analysis undertaken in collaboration with national stakeholders. These include the Ministry of Energy and Water (MoEW) and the Beirut and Mount Lebanon Water Establishment (BMLWE), as part of the project “Implementing the 2030 Agenda for Water Efficiency/Productivity and Water Sustainability in NENA Countries” under the FAO Regional Initiative on Water Scarcity in the Near East and funded by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA). The analysis, which will be summarized in a report (Gharios and Tanios, forthcoming), followed the governance framework described in the FAO paper “Focus on governance for [...]

Since 2014, North Macedonia has developed into the flagship country for FAO support to land consolidation in Europe and Central Asia. The first small technical assistance project began in 2014. During 2017–2022, support to the national land consolidation programme was scaled up with European Union IPA funding through the FAO-implemented MAINLAND project. In August 2022, a second EU IPA-funded and FAO-implemented project “Enhancing land consolidation in North Macedonia” was launched and will continue until 2026 in close collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Economy. From the beginning, the Government of North Macedonia’s vision has been to build [...]

This report highlightes outcomes and recommendations provided during the FAO regional expert workshop “Enhancing national climate actions to reduce methane emissions in livestock systems in Asia and the Pacific”. The regional workshop was designed to help countries in Asia and the Pacific identify new opportunities to reduce methane emissions from livestock systems in the region. The report illustrates best practices, solutions and ideas shared by countries and livestock stakeholders in Asia and the Pacific to achieve ambitious climate targets.

These guidelines are intended to assist competent authorities in their consideration of voluntary third-party assurance (vTPA) programmes. They provide a framework and criteria for assessing the integrity and credibility of the governance structures of vTPA programmes and the reliability of information/data generated by such programmes to support national food control system objectives. The term "Codex Alimentarius" is Latin and means "food code”. Codex standards are international food texts, i.e. standards, codes of practice, codes of hygienic practice, guidelines and other recommendations, established to protect the health of the consumers and to ensure fair practices in the food trade. The collection of [...]

Food loss and waste (FLW) is a global burden with a negative impact on the economic, social, and environmental dimensions of sustainable development. The loss and waste of food suitable for human consumption hampers food security and nutrition and hinders the realization of the human right to adequate food.Regulatory measures to tackle FLW include establishing institutional mechanisms for coordination of action, allocating clear roles and responsibilities among all stakeholders involved and setting binding targets for the reduction of FLW. These can enhance the transparency and accountability of all actors relevant for the prevention and reduction of FLW throughout the food [...]

At its 26th Session in October 2018, the FAO Committee on Agriculture (COAG) requested FAO to take the lead to develop voluntary codes of conduct for the reduction of food loss and food waste. In response to the COAG request, FAO developed the Voluntary Code of Conduct for Food Loss and Waste Reduction, which was endorsed by the 42nd Session of the FAO Conference in June 2021. The Voluntary Code of Conduct for Food Loss and Waste Reduction sets out a generic framework of actions and guiding principles that should be followed to reduce food loss and waste (FLW) and support [...]

In today’s world, the risk of spread of animal health diseases, within a country or across borders, is on the rise. Contributing factors include growing animal populations, increased movement of humans and animals, market intensification and global trade. Animal health services around the world play an essential role in curbing animal disease spread. They do so by increasing their capacity to manage animal health emergencies, preparing for such events during “peacetime” and reflecting on lessons learned during the “reconstruction phase”. These actions look to enhance a country’s state of operational readiness ahead of future events.Carrying out an After Action Review [...]

Launched at the World Food Systems Summit, the Food is Never Waste is a multi-stakeholder partnership committed to decreasing food loss and food waste with a wide range of actors all along the agri-food system. The partnership will promote best practices, science, data and innovation that will help decrease food loss and food waste globally.

Ce rapport s'inscrit dans le cadre du soutien de la FAO aux cinq pays du Maghreb, dont la Tunisie, pour la mise en œuvre d'un dialogue politique sur les situations de développement socio-économique dans les régions saharienne et oasienne. La FAO soutient le Gouvernement tunisien dans plusieurs initiatives de développement agricole et rural en s'efforçant de rendre l'agriculture, la pêche et la sylviculture plus durables et productives en adoptant des systèmes agricoles et alimentaires inclusifs et efficaces et en augmentant la résilience des moyens de subsistance face aux menaces et aux crises climatiques.Le contenu de ce rapport est une synthèse [...]