The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), today hosted a stakeholder’s consultation forum to bring sensitization to their country programme framework for Guyana at the Regency Hotel.
Minister Holder delivering remarks at the FAO Counrty Programming Framework Consultation Brief
The four yearlong (2016- 2019) programme framework was signed between the Government of Guyana and the FAO on December 17, 2015 and sets out to further develop three government priority areas. These areas specifically-Food and Nutrition, Sustainable management and utilization of natural resources, climate change and resilience of livelihoods to disasters and Agriculture, forestry, fisheries, hinterland and rural development- will guide to FAO to bring together innovative international best practices and global standards with national and regional expertise.
During his remarks, Minister of Agriculture Noel Holder pointed to the fact that document remains a critical one as it is aimed at sensitizing our development partners with regards to the priority areas and allow for wider collaboration and partnerships. “I believe that the document takes a results-based approach that builds on FAO’s comparative strengths” Minister Holder stated.
The agriculture minister also indicated that there will be continued advocacy for global and inter-regional dialogue and collaboration as Guyana and the FAO move forward to ensuring not only a stronger agriculture sector in Guyana, but the region as well.
Taking into account the area of food and nutrition security, the FAO’s framework will see them contributing to the reduction of hunger, food insecurity, malnutrition and poverty in Guyana by supporting the strengthening of the National Food and Nutrition Security Council. Emphasis will also be placed on the implementation of a National Strategic Plan for the Integrated Prevention and Control of Chronic Non-Communicable Diseases and their Risk Factors in addition to focusing on the national school feeding initiative specifically targeting nutrition education and linking local farmers produce to public institution requirements through public purchasing.
A section of the persons in attendance at the FAO Country Programming Framework Consultation Brief
The Country Programming Framework describes the types ofinterventions and outputs needed to achieve the desired outcomes, focusing on FAO’s Core Functions as the critical means of actions to be employed by FAO to achieve results, embodying the Organization’s mandate and comparative advantages.
The CPF also includes prioritizing sustainable management and utilization of natural resources like land, forestry and fisheries, climate change and resilience of livelihoods to disasters in addition to continued support for Hinterland and Rural Development. In this respect, the FAO will focus on interventions to systematically improve uptake of modern production technologies, increase market access through value chain approaches, reduce food losses and strengthen pest and disease management strategies in livestock and crop production systems.
UN Resident Coordinator, Khadija Musa addressing the gathering
Also speaking at the event was United Nations Resident Coordinator Khadija Musa. She expounded on the need for greater coordination among UN agencies during the planning stages to avoid duplication of projects. The United Nations is currently working with other Caribbean Countries to develop multi-country frameworks, indicating that they are currently in the final stages of developing a Multi Country Sustainable Development Framework to be completed in March of this year. The full document, once completed, will be launched in April.
