Three new countries to receive USD 97 million to tackle hunger
The Governments of Ethiopia, Mongolia and Niger got a big boost in their fight against poverty and hunger when they were awarded grants totaling USD 97 million from the Global Agriculture and Food Security Program (GAFSP), a multi-donor funding mechanism.
FAO welcomes this latest round of GAFSP funding, which will bolster these countries’ efforts to stimulate economic growth and improve food security through sustainable agricultural development. Read more.
The GAFSP, a financial pass-through mechanism, was set up earlier this year to channel part of the more than USD 20 billion pledged for agriculture and food security by world leaders at the 2009 G8 Summit in L’Aquila.
So far, more than USD 900 million has been committed to the GAFSP by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the Governments of Australia, Canada, the Republic of Korea, Spain and the United States.
The first round of GAFSP grants was announced earlier this year, with a total of USD 224 million going to Bangladesh, Haiti, Rwanda, Sierra Leone and Togo.
FAO has worked closely with several countries, including a number of the grantees, in the development of their country investment plans and subsequent applications for GAFSP funding.