European Union provides €12 million in support of global food security, UN reports

The European Union, FAO and its Rome-based UN partner agencies, with the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the World Food Programme (WFP), signed a €12 million deal that will lend EU backing to three separate programs designed to tackle diverse aspects of food security and rural development, the FAO reported today.

FAO Director-General, Jose Graziano da Silva commented on the three-part project:

"The FAO-EU relationship is a strong, well-established partnership with a long track record of successful teamwork and collaboration. We are extremely grateful for the ongoing trust and support the EU has shown us, and are gratified to be able to continue this team effort to build a world with zero hunger."

The first of the three initiatives aims to empower rural women as they play a key role in improving nutrition and food security in developing communities. This collaborative project, worth €5 million, will build off a joint proposal for mainstreaming gender considerations into rural development drawn up by FAO, IFAD and WFP, according to the report.

The second initiative will support global food security governance mechanisms by promoting greater involvement by civil society in policymaking. With €3 million in backing, the FAO reported that this project will strengthen participation in the CFS by civil society, facilitate work by an independent panel of outside experts to bring critical studies and independent analysis into CFS discussions, and support production of guidance documents that CFS produces as tools for improved policymaking by governments.

The third initiative of this project looks to leverage private sector funding in order to support agricultural development projects. This initiative, named Agrintel and worth €4 million, will enhance FAO-European Commission collaboration in the area of investment support, and is geared towards encouraging private investments in agrifood systems that are sustainable and have a strong development impact.

EU Commissioner in charge of International Cooperation and Development, Neven Mimica, commented on the new project and its initiatives:

"All three contracts will intensify the cooperation between the three Rome-based agencies (FAO, IFAD and WFP), as well as their collaboration with the EU. I look forward to effective joint work and clear results from the projects."

The AIDF Global Summit will return to Washington in 2019.

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Photo Credit: FAO