Rome – The second assembly for the Steering Committee of the Meals and Agriculture Group of the United Nations (FAO) on the implementation of One Nation One Precedence Product (OCOP) initiative held immediately, took inventory of the most important outcomes achieved, mentioned present priorities and subsequent steps.
To this point, 85 Members from all 5 FAO Areas – Africa, Asia and the Pacific, Europe and Central Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean, and the Close to East and North Africa – have expressed robust curiosity in selling the sustainable improvement of the worth chains of 54 Particular Agricultural Merchandise (SAPs), together with 28 horticultural and 15 discipline crops, 6 livestock merchandise and 5 forest merchandise.
In his opening remarks, FAO Director-Common QU Dongyu, as Chair of the Steering Committee, expressed gratitude for the tangible outcomes achieved and retraced the initiative’s core rules, emphasizing that “one of the vital essential options of OCOP is that it’s tailor-made to every particular nation, it’s not a one-size suits all strategy”.
The assembly was moderated by FAO Deputy Director-Common Beth Bechdol and attended by SC members and related observers. The keynote audio system, embody, amongst others, H.E. Anila Denaj, Minister for Agriculture and Rural Growth of the Republic of Albania; Abebe Haile-Gabriel, FAO Assistant Director-Common and Regional Consultant for Africa; and Hafiz Muminjanov, FAO technical adviser within the Plant Manufacturing and Safety Division (NSP) and the World Coordinator of OCOP Secretariat. Furthermore, the OCOP stakeholders, together with Chuang Liu, Professor on the Institute of Geographic Sciences and Pure Sources Analysis of Chinese language Academy of Sciences in China, Professor Pathmanathan Umaharan at Cocoa Analysis Centre of the College of the West Indies in Trinidad and Tobago, and Mr Khaled El-Haggan, Date Palm Farm Supervisor in Egypt, shared their views – from analysis, academia, and the personal sector – on the implementation of OCOP.
Additional the dialogue on the strengthening of the synergies between OCOP and different FAO initiatives, useful resource mobilization, advocacy and communication was facilitated by Yurdi Yasmi, Particular Coordinator, FAO.
Launched in September 2021, the initiative helps nations faucet into the unlocked potential of recognized Particular Agricultural Merchandise (SAPs), that are domestically recognized and underutilized agrifood merchandise which have the potential to be launched in additional secure regional and worldwide markets. By selling sustainable manufacturing and advertising of SAPs, the initiative goals to foster higher entry to wholesome diets, contribute to the livelihoods of small-scale and household farmers, and cut back environmental and social impacts, in step with FAO’s Strategic Framework 2022-31.
By this initiative, FAO gives a spread of tailor-made assist to nations, together with OCOP trainings, workshops and enhanced collaboration between nationwide governments, technical specialists, the personal sector, farmers, improvement and useful resource companions, and different key stakeholders.
Highlights of the targets achieved
As a part of the primary demonstration part, 5 nations have been recognized to guide the implementation of OCOP with country-level actions funded by FAO’s Versatile Voluntary Contribution (FVC) – in Bangladesh, Egypt, Malawi, Trinidad and Tobago, and Uzbekistan, to advertise jackfruit, date palm, banana, cocoa, and candy cherry, respectively. Since Might 2023, all 5 demonstration nations have established Nationwide Process Forces and have made progress within the implementation of OCOP.
To this point, a complete of 16 demonstration nations have been supported as to information and facilitate the OCOP implementation in different nations. Contributions totaling about USD 18 million from varied sources have been mobilized since 2021 to assist the implementation of the OCOP initiative in 60 nations.
Priorities on the way in which ahead
Wanting forward the FAO Director-Common outlined 4 key priorities to enhance implementation of the initiative and speed up progress.
First, rising the visibility and influence of OCOP, with efficient communication and outreach at world, regional, nationwide, and farmer neighborhood ranges. Second, the necessity to proceed to mobilize assets so that each one 85 nations which have expressed curiosity can participate within the initiative. Third, the significance of selling large-scale implementation via the 16 demonstration nations recognized to this point. Fourth and final, strengthen synergies among the many already current FAO flagship initiatives, together with Hand-in-Hand, the Digital Villages, and the Inexperienced Cities Initiatives, designed to be complementary.
Right this moment’s Steering Committee assembly additionally outlined a number of future actions. This included strengthening monetary, technical, and human assets on the world, regional, and nation ranges; partaking a variety of stakeholders to assist actions on the nation and discipline ranges; and monitoring and facilitating OCOP initiatives.
